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At least 13 dead after falling into well in India when temple floor collapsed Thirty-five dead after floor of Indian temple collapses
(about 13 hours later)
Worshippers in Indore fell into communal water source as they gathered to mark Ram NavamiWorshippers in Indore fell into communal water source as they gathered to mark Ram Navami
At least 13 devotees were killed and more than a dozen people have been rescued after they fell into a well at a Hindu temple in India, officials have said. At least 35 people have died after the floor of a Hindu temple collapsed in Indore, central India, plunging them into a well.
More than 25 worshippers plunged into the stepwell – a stair-lined communal water source – after the floor covering it collapsed on Thursday in the central city of Indore. It has emerged that the floor which covered the stepwell – a stair-lined communal water source – consisted only of tiles laid over a metal grille.
“Police recovered 11 bodies from the well and two people succumbed to their injuries at the hospital,” said Narottam Mishra, the home minister of Madhya Pradesh state. An investigation had been launched into the tragedy and the families of the dead people would be compensated, Narottam Mishra, the home minister of Madhya Pradesh state said.
Mishra said an investigation had been launched into the tragedy and the families of the dead people would be compensated. A large number of devotees, mainly women and children, were present at the temple on Thursday for the Hindu festival of Ram Navami. Police said the flimsy floor gave way under their weight. The well had about 25 feet (7.6 metres) of water in it when they fell.
Police official Manish Kapuriya said rescue efforts were continuing and that the injured people were moved to government hospitals for treatment. Television footage showed emergency workers using ropes and ladders to reach those trapped. Other videos showed the caved-in floor and mangled steel bars, and police using ropes to seal the area.
Television footage showed emergency workers using ropes and ladders to reach those trapped in the well in Madhya Pradesh. Other videos showed the caved-in floor and mangled steel bars, and police using ropes to seal the area. “I saw some people falling with their hands still folded in prayer, looking bewildered,” said an eyewitness who survived because she was standing in a corner.
Temples across India were brimming with devotees on the occasion of Ram Navami, the birthday of the Hindu deity Lord Ram. Officials say rescue operations are continuing.
“We have a large team of rescuers, supplemented by army personnel,” Indore commissioner Pawan Sharma said. “We have managed to rescue 18 people who are in hospital.”
The Times of India has reported seeing documents showing that the Indore municipal authority ordered the removal of the makeshift floor in January because it was dangerous but backed down when local Hindus protested.
A similar tragedy occurred last November in Gujarat, western India, when 135 people – mostly women and children – fell to their deaths in the Morbi River below.