More than 20 people, including women and children, are feared trapped after the roof of a stepwell at a temple collapsed in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore on Thursday.
The incident took place during Ram Navami celebrations at the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple in the Patel Nagar area. Police and locals were seen trying to rescue the devotees trapped inside the well. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he has spoken to Chief Minister Shivrak Singh Chouhan over the accident.
“Extremely anguished by the incident in Indore. I spoke to CM @ChouhanShivraj and got an update on the situation. The state government is carrying out rescue and relief operations at a fast pace. My prayers are with all the affected and their families,” PM Modi said.
The Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, said that he has taken cognizance of the incident and termed it “unfortunate”. He said 10 people have been rescued so far, while nine of them are still trapped inside the stepwell.
“It is an unfortunate incident. A rescue operation is underway. 10 people have been safely rescued, while nine are still trapped and will be rescued. Efforts are on to rescue others,” the chief minister said, according to a statement from his office.
The chief minister’s office had earlier said in a statement, “Eight people were evacuated and taken to hospital, while local administration, including police, district administration, and SDRF, were involved in the rescue operation. Several ambulances were also deployed at the site,” it said.
“Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has taken cognizance of the incident, discussed it with the Indore Collector and Police Commissioner over the phone, and instructed to speed up the rescue operation. Apart from this, the Chief Minister’s office is also in constant touch with the Indore district administration,” read the statement. The incident took place around 12 p.m. when devotees were offering prayers during a havan at the temple on the occasion of Ram Navami.