The death toll from the floor collapse of a Hindu temple in India has risen to 35 on Friday. And rescue operations are still underway to find a missing person, a local official said.
Dozens of worshipers fell Thursday in a bâoli, a well lined with stairs used for religious rituals. The floor of the temple, which covered it, gave way under their weight. The accident occurred in the city of Indore, in the state of Madhya Pradesh (center). “Thirty-five people died. One person is still missing. Relief operations are continuing,” said Indore District Magistrate Ilayaraja T.
A rescue operation in progress
A witness to the scene said a rescue operation was underway to determine if the missing person had also fallen into the shaft. Women, children and an 18-month-old baby lay on the floor of the grated temple which buckled before giving way, plunging them to the bottom of the 7.5-meter-deep pit, the newspaper reported. Times of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday he was “extremely saddened” by the tragedy. “The government is carrying out rescue and relief operations at a steady pace,” he added. “My prayers go out to all those affected and their families.”
Opening an investigation
Relatives of the victims will receive 200,000 rupees (2,230 euros) in compensation, said Narendra Modi’s office. An investigation has been opened into the accident, Narottam Mishra, interior minister of the state of Madhya Pradesh, confirmed to the press.
Police official Manish Kapooriya said rescue operations were continuing as the survivors were taken to hospital. Television footage showed rescuers setting up ropes and ladders to reach people trapped in the well. Temples across India were overflowing with devotees on the Ram Navami festival, celebrating the birthday of the Hindu deity Rama.
Frequent accidents
In India, fatal accidents are frequent in places of worship during religious festivals. In 2016, at least 112 people died when a fireworks warehouse explosion sparked a massive fire near a Hindu temple in the state of Kerala.
Three years earlier, 115 Hindu worshipers died following a crowd movement on a bridge near a temple in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The stampede had occurred following a rumor announcing the collapse of the bridge, while 400,000 people had gathered in the area.
In 2008, a stampede killed 224 and injured more than 400 pilgrims at a hilltop temple in the northern Indian city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan.