INDORE: Death toll in Indore temple floor collapse incident on Thursday rose to 35 as per officials involved in the rescue operations. Search operations for one missing are still underway, it added.
According to the Commissioner of Indore division, Pawan Sharma, they have recovered 35 bodies till now and have rescued 18 people. Out of the 18 people, 16 are undergoing treatment while two are doing fine
The slab covering a ‘bawdi’ (well) collapsed during a ritual at the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple on the occasion of Ram Navami in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore on Thursday morning due to heavy footfall. The roof of the well was constructed by laying a concrete slab, supported by iron rods, to cover the bawdi.
140 people have been involved in the rescue operation, including 75 army personnel along witb the NDRF and SDRF in the operation that began on Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, PM Modi announced an ex gratia from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the kin of the Indore accident victims, said a press release by Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday. A tweet on the official handle of the Prime Minister’s Office read, “An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh (each) from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the unfortunate tragedy in Indore today. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 (each): PM.”
The state govt also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs to be given to next of kin of the deceased while Rs 50,000.
The temple and stepwell are said to be about 60 years old. Eyewitnesses said that about 20 to 25 people were performing ‘havan’ on the terrace built above the stepwell. The head priest of the temple Laxminarayan Sharma resonating with eye witnesses said that the roof was constructed without any concrete support by putting stone slabs and concrete by fitting iron rods.