Indore: As many as 35 bodies have been recovered so far after a slab covering a ‘bawdi’ (well) broke during a ritual at the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple on the occasion of Ram Navami in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore on Thursday morning due to heavy footfall.
The roof of the well was constructed by laying a concrete slab, supported by iron rods, to cover the bawdi.
“Total of 35 people died, one missing and 14 people have been rescued. Two people returned home safely after getting treatment. The search operation to trace persons reported missing is underway,” Indore Collector Ilayaraja T said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
“The 18 hours long rescue operation started at around 12:30 on Thursday, and is still ongoing,” he added.
Managed by a private trust, the temple is located at Sneh Nagar, one of the oldest residential colonies in Indore. Sources have said the tragedy could have been averted had the Indore Municipal Corporation acted on the complaints filed by residents.
On Ram Navami, a havan was being performed on the concrete slab covering a stepwell which also served as the platform of the temple. The concrete slab was not strong enough to hold the weight of 30-40 people, resulting in devotees plunging into the 40-foot-deep stepwell.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are engaged in the rescue operations.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of the victims and Rs 50,000 to those injured in the freak accident.
