Horror as temple floor collapses sending worshippers plunging into well leaving 35 people dead in India
AT least 35 worshippers have been killed after plunging into a deep well as a makeshift floor collapsed at a temple in India.
Emergency services raced to the scene in Indore after the floor caved in while more than 40 people were performing a fire ritual to celebrate a Hindu festival.
Witnesses said they heard a massive crack followed by the crashing of concrete and bricks as the floor collapsed.
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As cops cordoned off the scene, families rushed to the temple waving photographs of their loved ones at rescuers.
A member of the rescue team said: "We found a lot of water, so it was difficult to pull people out. We used ropes, ladders, but finally had to dive with oxygen cylinders.
A senior police officer said: "At night, more bodies could be seen, divers entered the well and used cameras to look in the muddy water.
"The images they sent back were spine-chilling.
"Over 40 people were taking part in a havan on the platform covering the well when it caved in."
Temple authorities had stopped using the well years ago and covered it with a makeshift floor.
Witnesses said a large crowd had flocked to the temple to celebrate Rama, one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities.
The state's top elected official, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, has ordered an investigation into the tragedy.