Indore temple stepwell collapse: Death toll rises to 13

INDORE: The death toll in the Indore temple stepwell collapse incident rose to 13, informed Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Thursday.

"Nineteen people were rescued. As per the latest information, 11 bodies have been recovered -of which 10 were women and one man. Of the 19 people who were rescued, two died. So, a total of 13 have died. An order has been given to probe into the incident," Mishra told reporters.

The incident took place during Ram Navami celebrations at the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple in the Patel Nagar area. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced Rs 5 lakh exgratia to the kin of the deceased while Rs 50,000 to the injured.

"An ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh will be given to next of kin of deceased while Rs 50,000 will be given to the injured," Chouhan told reporters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to take stock of the situation.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, "Extremely pained by the mishap in Indore. Spoke to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh 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." The incident occurred at around 12 pm on Thursday when devotees were offering prayers during a hawan at the temple on the occasion of Ram Navami.