According to the officials in charge of the area, at least 35 deaths have been reported. on Thursday when the floor covering of a Hindu temple from central India gave way, causing worshippers to tumble into a stepwell below the building.
In the Indian city of Indore, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, the incident took place at the Shri Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple. The home minister of the state, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, stated that the covering of the stepwell had collapsed as a result of the heavy load that was on top.
The Home Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Narottam Mishra, initially stated on Thursday that nineteen people had already been saved from the stepwell. However, two people later passed away as a result of their injuries. He also mentioned that water was just being hyped through the stepwell in order to assist with the rescue operations. Large reservoirs or wells equipped with stairs leading down to the water’s surface can be referred to as stepwells.
Later on, that evening, a high-ranking district official named Ilayaraja T told journalists that they had found and removed 35 carcasses, with one human still having missed and 16 others injured.
“There is a significant amount of silt. “Once we finish removing the silt, we will conduct another set of searches,” he explained. The rescue effort includes participation from the army in addition to teams from the federal government and various states.
Chouhan stated that despite everyone’s best efforts, they were unable to rescue many lives and added that he had requested a probe into what had happened.
A massive, gaping crater can be seen in the earth underneath the temple in videos and photographs of the rescue effort. People can be seen crawling on ladders to the top, and authorities can be seen feeding ropes below. It appears like a metal cabling structure has collapsed, and worried crowds have collected from outside the temple to watch as emergency personnel carries the wounded on stretchers.
On Thursday, the Hindu holiday known as Rama Navami took place. This holiday honors the birthplace of Lord Ram and is typically celebrated by followers by going to temples and singing or chanting religious hymns.
In photographs were taken inside the Indore temple, objects like candles, sweets, and offerings can be seen strewn on the ground close to the crater.
On Thursday, PM Narendra Modi tweeted that he was “very saddened” by the occurrence, expressing his sympathies to the individuals who died and stating that he was “deeply hurt” by it. According to what he had said, “The Provincial Government is taking the lead in coordinating and accelerating search and rescue efforts as well as relief efforts.”
Chouhan stated that those who were hurt and the families of those who passed away will receive government reimbursement for their losses.
