11 women and children die after falling into well

The concrete slab covering it collapsed when several people were perched on the covering while a wedding ritual was going on at Kushinagar

The well covered with bamboo ladders after the accident.: PTI Photo

Piyush Srivastava   |   TT  |  18.02.22 :  At least 11 women and children died after falling into a well when a slab covering it collapsed while a wedding ritual was going on at Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

PTI put the toll at 13. Around 15 people were injured.

“The ritual involved a member of the groom’s family fetching  water in a bucket from the well. The groom’s mother pours it and the groom cuts the sheet of falling water repeatedly with a sword. It symbolises removal of the expected hurdles in married life,” said Brijesh Govind Rao, a  resident of Naurangiya Tola village where the tragedy took place.

Barring a hole in its mouth, the rest of the well was sealed with reinforced concrete 11 years ago.

On Wednesday, several people were perched on the concrete covering.

“Unable to bear the weight of so many people, the  slab collapsed,” Govind Rao said.

उत्तर प्रदेश के कुशीनगर में हुआ हादसा हृदयविदारक है। इसमें जिन लोगों को अपनी जान गंवानी पड़ी है, उनके परिजनों के प्रति मैं अपनी गहरी संवेदनाएं व्यक्त करता हूं। इसके साथ ही घायलों के जल्द से जल्द स्वस्थ होने की कामना करता हूं। स्थानीय प्रशासन हर संभव मदद में जुटा है।

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 17, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences to the bereaved families.