Well collapse at Indian temple kills at least 8

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A structure built over an old temple well in India collapsed Thursday as a large crowd of devotees prayed at a festival for Rama, one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities, killing at least eight people, police said.

Up to 35 people fell into the well in the temple complex in Indore in central Madhya Pradesh state when the structure collapsed and were covered by falling debris, police Commissioner Makrand Deoskar said. At least eight were killed.

The structure apparently caved in because it could not handle the weight of the large crowd. The state’s top elected official, Shivraj Chauhan, ordered an investigation.

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Local news reports said temple authorities had stopped using the well years ago and covered it with the structure.

People stand around a structure built over an old temple well that collapsed on March 30, 2023, in Indore, India. At least eight people died when the well collapsed. (AP Photo)

Witnesses said a large crowd of devotees had thronged the temple to perform a fire ritual and celebrate the Hindu festival.

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Building collapses are common in India because of poor construction and a failure to observe regulations.

In October, a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river in the western state of Gujarat, sending hundreds of people plunging into the water and killing at least 132 in one of the worst accidents in the country in the past decade.