GUWAHATI: At least 35 people were killed on Thursday after falling into a stepwell at a temple in Madhya Pradesh after its floor covering collapsed.
The incident happened at the Shri Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
The stepwell’s covering had collapsed ‘due to the heavy load’ on top, according to the state’s Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Thursday was Rama Navami, a festival celebrating the birth of Lord Ram, often marked by devotees visiting temples and performing religious chants or songs.
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Later that evening, senior district official Ilayaraja T told reporters they had recovered 35 bodies, with one person still missing and 16 injured.
“There is a lot of silt. Once we do the de-silting, we will do another round of searches,” he said.
The army, as well as federal and state disaster response teams, are involved in the rescue.
“Despite all efforts, we could not save many lives,” said Chouhan, adding that he had ordered an investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the victims and their families.
Modi tweeted that he was ‘extremely pained’ by the incident.
The injured and families of the dead will receive compensation from the government, Chouhan said.