Devotees killed as covering over well collapses at Indian temple

A structure built over an old temple well in India has collapsed as a large crowd of devotees prayed at a festival, killing at least 11 people, police said.

Up to 35 people fell into the well in the temple complex in Indore in central Madhya Pradesh state and were covered by falling debris, Police Commissioner Makrand Deoskar said.

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.

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

Witnesses said a large crowd of devotees had thronged the temple to perform a fire ritual and celebrate the festival for Rama, one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities.

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.