The death toll from the floor collapse of a Hindu temple in India rose to 36 on Friday after rescuers discovered the lifeless body of the last person still being sought, police told AFP.
Dozens of worshipers fell Thursday into a bâoli, a well lined with stairs used for religious rituals, when 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).
“Seventeen people were rescued yesterday (Thursday). Thirty-six bodies were recovered,” police officer Manish Kapooria told AFP.
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 Times of India newspaper reported.
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.”
Relatives of the victims will receive 200,000 rupees (2,230 euros) in compensation, said the office of Mr. Modi.
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 told AFP that 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 occasion of the Ram Navami festival, celebrating the birthday of the Hindu deity Rama.
In India, fatal accidents are frequent in places of worship during religious holidays.
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 mob 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 to a hilltop temple in the northern Indian city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
03/31/2023 18:05:48 – New Delhi (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
