Indore stepwell accident: death count reaches 35; one missing

Indore: The death count in a stepwell's roof collapse incident here in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday has reached 35. The roof of the well in Beleshwar Mahadev temple gave in after it failed to sustain the weight of a large crowd during Ram Navami celebrations, NDTV reported.

Indore Collector Ilayaraja T told ANI that a total of 35 died, a person went missing, and 14 people were rescued. Search operations are underway for the missing, he added.

The rescue operations, which started around 12:30 pm on Thursday, have run for 18 hours and are still going on, the collector said.

The temple is managed by a private trust and is located at Senh Nagar, which is one of the oldest residential colonies in Indore. According to reports, the tragedy could have been avoided only if the Municipal Corporation had acted on filed complaints by residents.

The concrete slab covering the stepwell was used as a platform in the temple where a havan was being performed during the Ram Navami celebrations. It wasn't strong enough to hold 30-40 people and gave in, plunging those who stood on it to the 40 feet deep well.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are engaged in rescue operations.

The Madhya Pradesh administration has announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of the victims and Rs 50,000 for those injured in the accident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Extremely pained by the mishap in Indore. Spoke to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and took an update on the situation. The State Government is spearheading rescue and relief work at a quick pace. My prayers are with all those affected and their families."

The temple was built after covering the stepwell four decades ago.