Death Count In Indore Temple Tragedy Increases To 35

The stepwell roof at the Beleshwar Mahadev temple could not sustain the weight of a large crowd on Ram Navami.

As many as 35 people have been killed after the roof of a stepwell collapsed at a temple in Madhya Pradesh's Indore on Thursday. The stepwell roof at the Beleshwar Mahadev temple could not sustain the weight of a large crowd on Ram Navami. 

"Total of 35 people died, one missing and 14 people have been rescued. Two people returned home safely after getting treatment. The search operation to trace persons reported missing is underway," Indore Collector Ilayaraja T said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

"The 18 hours long rescue operation started at around 12:30 on Thursday, and is still ongoing," he added.

Managed by a private trust, the temple is located at Sneh Nagar, one of the oldest residential colonies in Indore. Sources have said the tragedy could have been averted had the Indore Municipal Corporation acted on the complaints filed by residents.