35 Die As Indian Temple Collapses

At least, 35 persons have died and more than a dozen others injured in central India after the covering of Beleshwar Mahadev Temple well collapsed.

The incident occurred as devotees gathered in Indore city, Madhya Pradesh State to celebrate the Hindu festival of Ram Navami on Thursday. 

Times of India newspaper reported that rescue work was expedited on Thursday night after underwater cameras showed bodies floating in the muddy waters of the well.

Nearly 140 rescuers used ropes and ladders to pull the bodies from the well after pumping out the water but a narrow path and debris in the well made the task difficult.

State Police Commissioner, Makrand Deoskar confirmed that dozens of people fell into the well in the temple complex and were covered by falling debris. 

Indore’s district magistrate, Dr Ilayaraja T said on Friday that a total of 35 people were killed, one was missing, and 14 people were rescued.

He noted that two persons returned home safely after receiving medical assistance, adding that the search for missing individuals is underway.

Ilayaraja said that rescue operation lasted more than 18 hours, involving over 70 people such as military personnel and rescue services employees.

BOblog gathered that the floor caved-in due to overcrowding while temple authorities had stopped using the well years ago and had covered the mouth with iron grills and tiles. 

The state Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan hinted that the structure collapsed because it could not handle the weight of the large crowd.

Chouhan noted that 18 people were rescued and hospitalised with injuries, just as he had ordered an investigation into the incident.

Municipal authorities in January, 2023, had ordered temple owners to remove the covering of the well because it was an unsafe and unauthorised structure but they ignored the warning.

Building collapses are common in India due to poor construction and a failure to observe regulations.

In October, 2022, a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river in the western state of Gujarat, sending hundreds of people plunging into the water and killing at least 132 in one of the worst accidents in the country in the past decade.

The Indian authorities are expected to pay 500,000 rupees (about 6,000 dollars) to families of the victims and 50,000 rupees to the injured persons.