Vidhisha: In a major yet surprising incident, several people fell into a well in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha on Thursday night.
According to locals, the well is around 50 feet deep with a water level of about 20 feet. The incident took place at Ganj Basoda, about 50 km from the district headquarters.
As per the latest inputs, at least 4 people were killed, while 19 others were rescued. Police said that the number may increase as the rescue operation is still underway.
Chouhan tweeted on Thursday night saying a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team has been rushed to the spot.
"All I can tell you at the moment is that a rescue operation is on," District Superintendent of Police Vinayak Verma told PTI from the spot.
How did more than 2 dozen people fall into a well at the same time?
The girl fell into the well around 9 pm and some people climbed down to rescue her while others were standing on the parapet wall around it to help them, a police official said.
The wall suddenly crashed, throwing those standing on it into the water, he said, adding that several of them were feared trapped under the rubble.
Around 11 pm, a tractor engaged in the rescue operation, along with four policemen, skidded into the well when the area around it caved in, eyewitnesses said.
Speaking on the incident, Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan said, "I pay homage to those who lost their lives in the accident. Rescue work is underway."
The Chief Minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 Lakhs each for the next of the kin of the deceased & compensation of Rs 50,000 each to the injured. The injured will also be provided free medical treatment.
(With agency inputs)