As many as eight people died and 25 were injured after the roof of Indore's Shri Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple collapsed during Ram Navami celebrations in Indore on Thursday.
Officials said 19 persons have been rescued so far. Eight of the victims have died, said Indore Collector Dr Illaiyaraja T. The incident reported from Sneh Nagar area of the city happened around 12 noon when devotees were offering their prayers amid a huge rush.
Efforts to rescue those people who fell into the stepwell and are trapped are going on. As per media reports, senior police officials including Indore Police Commissioner have reached the spot. Several video footage shows the hullabaloo at the scene while policemen can be seen trying to pull people out using ropes. So far, seven people have been rescued while 17 others are still said to be trapped.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took immediate cognizance of the accident after being informed. He directed authorities to expedite the rescue operations at the temple.
The CM's office said they were in constant contact with the Indore district administration as per an India Today report. Senior officials of the Indore Police and district administration were present at the scene.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the incident. "Extremely pained by the mishap in Indore. Spoke to CM @ChouhanShivraj Ji 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," he said in a tweet.
