13 Dead, 19 Rescued After Indore Temple Stepwell Collapses

Indore: At least 13 people lost their lives while 19 were rescued alive in a terrible tragedy at a temple here.

The roof of an ancient ‘bavdi’ (a large well) in Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple collapsed during the Ram Navami festival. As a large number of people had gathered on the roof of the ancient well, it was unable to bear the load and caved in, PTI reported.

Ten of the deceased are believed to be missing. The toll could rise as quite a few people are still missing.

Rescue operations are still underway with an NDRF team joining local teams.

Watch videos of rescue operations shared on Twitter by ANI:

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.

“We are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. Proper arrangements have been made for the treatment of the injured, the entire medical expenses will be borne by the state government,” the CM said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu expressed deep shock at the mishap and prayed for those affected and their families.