As many as 14 devotees have died after the roof of a stepwell of a temple collapsed in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district on Thursday, state home minister Narottam Mishra said.
The incident occurred at Beleshwar Jhulelal Mahadev Temple located in Patel Nagar locality in the city at around 11 in the morning during a Havan puja going on in view of the Ram Navami festival.
Mishra said, “Around 30 people were trapped in the stepwell out of which a total of 19 people were rescued. According to the latest information, 11 bodies have been recovered which includes 10 women and one man. Of the 19 people who were rescued, two persons died. So, a total of 13 have died so far. Order has been given for a probe into the incident.”
Indore Collector Ilayaraja T. said, “11 dead bodies have been recovered so far and the rescue operation is still going on.”
Earlier, Indore Collector Dr Ilayaraja T said, “So many people assembled near a stepwell to do ‘hawan’. The overcrowding surrounding the stepwell could be the reason that led to the collapse of the floor. Around 25 people fell into the well, 15 have been rescued so far, an operation to rescue the rest of them is underway. There is a possibility of casualties.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the kin of the Indore accident victims, said a press release by Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday.
A tweet on the official handle of the Prime Minister’s Office read; “An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh (each) from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the unfortunate tragedy in Indore today. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000 (each): PM.” Expressing sorrow over the incident, PM Modi took to Twitter to say that he spoke to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, offering all help and assiatance in the ongoing rescue and relief work.
“Extremely pained by the mishap in Indore. Spoke to CM Chouhan Shivraj and took an update on the situation. The State Government is spearheading rescue and relief work at a quick pace. My prayers are with all those affected and their families,” PM Modi tweeted earlier.