Madhya Pradesh: 13 Dead After Indore Temple Floor Caves In, CM Announces Ex Gratia Of Rs 5 Lakh
Indore Temple Collapse: A video of the incident showed chaos inside the temple as the floor caved in. District authorities have launched an operation to rescue the devotees.
At least 13 people were killed after the floor at Indore's Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple in Madhya Pradesh caved in on Thursday, ANI reported quoting Indore collector Dr Illaiyaraja T. The incident occured as a huge crowd gathered at the temple on the occassion of Ram Navami.
A video of the incident showed chaos inside the temple as the floor caved in, with people running towards the exit gate. District authorities have launched an operation to rescue the devotees. So far, 17 people have been rescued.
"As per the latest information, 11 bodies have been recovered -- 10 women and one man. Of the 19 people who were rescued, two died. So, a total of 13 have died. Order has been given to probe into the incident," ANI quoted Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra as saying.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said an ex gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh would be given to next of kin of deceased while Rs 50,000 would be given to the injured.
Calling it an "unfortunate incident", the Chief Minister said the rescued people have been sent to the hospital. Several ambulances have been deployed at the site.
"CMO is in constant touch with the Indore district administration. Top officers of Indore Police and district administration are present at the spot. Efforts are being made to evacuate the devotees," the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely pained by the mishap in Indore. "Spoke to CM Shivraj Chouhan and took an update on the situation. The state government is spearheading rescue and relief work at a quick pace. My prayers with all those affected and their families," PM Modi tweeted.
Authorities said a wall at the ancient temple had to be broken with the help of a JCB to evacuate the devotees.
An eyewitness said a religious program was being held at the temple and a large crowd of devotees had gathered on the roof of the ancient temple. The roof apparently could not bear the burden of so many people, the eyewitness said.
Kantibhai Patel, president of Patel Nagar Residents Association, said no ambulance reached the spot for an hour even after authorities were alerted about the accident.
Talking to ABP News, BJP MP from Indore Shankar Lalwani said, "I know that the temple is very old temple. But it is difficult to say as of now what caused the accident. Further investigation will be done."
Disaster management expert Anjali Kwatra said the government needs to look into why such incidents happen every time at religious places.
"The administration has responded quickly, it is a good thing. But the big question is why such incidents happen every time at religious places? Why don't we prepare in advance? The place where the accident took place is a very narrow place," Kwatra further said.
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