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Death toll from India temple collapse rises to 35

2023-03-31T05:25:53.735Z


The death toll from the collapse of the floor of a Hindu temple in India has risen to 35 dead on Friday March 31, but the rescue operations are...


The death toll from the collapse of the floor of a Hindu temple in India rose to 35 on Friday March 31, but rescue operations are still ongoing, a local official 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 happened in the city of Indore, in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

Thirty-five people died.

One person is still missing.

Relief operations are continuing

,” Indore District Magistrate Ilayaraja T told AFP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday he was “

extremely saddened

” by the tragedy.

Frequent fatal accidents

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 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.

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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 came after rumors the bridge collapsed as 400,000 people gathered in the area.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2023-03-31

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