Nearly 30-35 devotees fell into the well after its roof collapsed

Nearly 30-35 devotees fell into the well after its roof collapsed

Nearly 30-35 devotees fell into the well after its roof collapsed

At least 13 people died after the roof of a well at a temple in Madhya Pradesh's Indore collapsed due to heavy footfall on the occasion of Ram Navami on Thursday. According to police, nearly 30-35 devotees fell into the well after the accident and the rescue and relief work is still under way.

The incident took place at the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple in Patel Nagar around 12 pm when devotees were offering prayers during a hawan.

"Nineteen people were rescued. As per the latest information, 11 bodies have been recovered, of which 10 were women and one man. Of the 19 people who were rescued, two died. So, a total of 13 have died. An order has been given to probe into the incident," state home minister Narottam Mishra said.

According to reports, there was a huge crowd of devotees on the roof of the well in the temple. As the structure could not bear the load of so many people, it caved in.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also spoke to the Indore collector and police commissioner over the phone and directed them to speed up the rescue operation. Chouhan has announced an exgratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

Expressing anguish over the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Extremely pained by the mishap in Indore. Spoke to CM Shivraj Chouhan Ji and took an update on the situation. The state government is spearheading rescue and relief work at a quick pace. My prayers with all those affected and their families.”