MADHYA PRADESH: At least 36 people have been killed and more than a dozen others injured in central India after the roof of a well collapsed, causing people to fell inside, officials said on Friday.
The incident occurred in Madhya Pradesh state’s Indore city on Thursday as devotees had gathered at a temple to celebrate the Hindu festival of Ram Navami.
Hundreds of rescuers used ropes and ladders to pull the bodies that were floating in the muddy waters of the well. The task was made difficult due to a narrow path and large amount of debris.
Madhya Pradesh | Ten people rescued so far after a stepwell collapsed at Indore temple. Rescue operation is underway. pic.twitter.com/0AW1dZpsUK
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) March 30, 2023
The well had not been in use for years and temple authorities had covered its mouth with iron grills and tiles, officials said.
Witnesses said a large number of devotees had thronged the temple to perform a fire ritual to mark the Hindu festival.
The structure collapsed because it could not handle the weight of the large crowd, said the state’s Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. An investigation has been launched into the incident.
Temple owners had been warned about the unsafe well roof
In January, municipal authorities ordered temple owners to remove the well’s covering because it was an unsafe and unauthorised structure but temple authorities took no notice of the warning, the Times of India reported.
#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh: Many feared being trapped after a stepwell at a temple collapsed in Patel Nagar area in Indore.
Details awaited. pic.twitter.com/qfs69VrGa9
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) March 30, 2023
Building collapses are a common occurence in India because of poor construction and a failure to observe regulations.
In October, at least 132 people were killed when a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river in the western state of Gujarat, causing hundreds to plung into water.
