At the site of the incident in Naurangiya village of UP’s Kushinagar district on Thursday. (PTI) Five women and eight girls died after falling into a well while attending a wedding ceremony in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district Wednesday night, police said.
They were among 21 women and girls who were standing on a cement slab over the well, which gave way under their weight.
The other eight persons have sustained injuries but are now stable, police said.
The youngest of the deceased people is a one-year-old girl, Pari. Her mother and elder sister were injured, said a police officer.
Immediately after the incident at Naurangiya village, around 18 km from Kushinagar district headquarters, two local youths entered the 20-foot well using ropes and pulled out the victims. The police, too, arrived on the spot to help with the rescue.
All 13 deceased persons were declared dead on arrival at the hospital. Local residents alleged that the ambulance arrived late.
Kushinagar Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Devi Dayal Verma said an inquiry has been ordered into the matter.
The inquiry team will verify the location of the ambulance using the GPS installed in the vehicle, said an officer.
The state government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased persons, said the ADM.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have expressed grief over the incident.
Station House Officer, Nibua Naurangiya, Girijesh Upadhyay said the incident took place during the ‘haldi’ ritual near a local resident’s house. Several women and girls from the village were attending the ceremony.
Hearing their cries for help, the male members of the village rushed to the spot and called the police.
On Thursday, the bodies of the victims were handed over to their families after an autopsy. The report is still awaited. Among the adult victims, three were aged between 18 and 25 and two were aged above 35.
Leaders of different political parties visited the village and assured the residents of help.
In a tweet in Hindi, Prime Minister Modi described the incident as heart-rending. He extended his condolences to the families of victims and wished the injured persons a swift recovery. In the tweet, he also said that the local administration was providing all possible help.
Chief Minister Adityanath, in a tweet in Hindi, said: “My condolences are with the bereaved families of the deceased. Prabhu Shri Ram is wishing for the speedy recovery of injured persons.”
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