At least 13 dead after falling into well in India when temple floor collapsed

At least 13 devotees were killed and more than a dozen people have been rescued after they fell into a well at a Hindu temple in India, officials have said.

More than 25 worshippers plunged into the stepwell – a stair-lined communal water source – after the floor covering it collapsed on Thursday in the central city of Indore.

“Police recovered 11 bodies from the well and two people succumbed to their injuries at the hospital,” said Narottam Mishra, the home minister of Madhya Pradesh state.

Mishra said an investigation had been launched into the tragedy and the families of the dead people would be compensated.

Police official Manish Kapuriya said rescue efforts were continuing and that the injured people were moved to government hospitals for treatment.

Television footage showed emergency workers using ropes and ladders to reach those trapped in the well in Madhya Pradesh. Other videos showed the caved-in floor and mangled steel bars, and police using ropes to seal the area.

Temples across India were brimming with devotees on the occasion of Ram Navami, the birthday of the Hindu deity Lord Ram.