Indore: The death toll in Thursday’s temple tragedy here has risen to 36.
A large crowd had gathered at Beleshwar Mahadev temple on the occasion of Ram Navami.
A ‘havan’ was being performed on the concrete slab covering a stepwell, which also served as the temple’s platform, reported NDTV.
Unable to sustain the weight of so many people, the slab gave way, resulting in devotees plunging into the 40-foot-deep stepwell.
The search operation, conducted by NDRF, SDRF teams and local agencies, continued for nearly 24 hours.
Watch one of the video clips of rescue operation shared on social media:
Indore(MP):–Death Toll Rises To 35 In Indore temple Tragedy pic.twitter.com/6jSmpAPkMo
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Most of those killed were women and children. Fourteen people were rescued from the stepwell.
The municipality had sent a notice to the temple trust last year over complaints by local people who alleged that the temple was built on a stepwell in an encroached park, according to NDTV. The municipal body had marked out the stepwell’s concrete cover for demolition, but didn’t go ahead with the action after the trust warned them that such a move will hurt religious sentiments.
