MP well collapse: Nine dead, 19 rescued as search continues

Vidisha (MP), July 16

As many as nine bodies were recovered and 19 persons were brought out alive by Friday night from a well in which several people fell while trying to rescue a boy in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district, a minister said.

The incident took place on Thursday night when the parapet wall of the well in Lal Patar village in Ganj Basoda area, 50 km from here, gave way.

In further mishap, a tractor deployed for the rescue operation skidded into the well with four policemen.

The rescue operation was still going on, state Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang told PTI from the spot.

“Nineteen persons have been pulled out safely so far. Nine bodies have been recovered,” said Sarang, who is also the district”s guardian minister. Asked how many people were still feared trapped under the rubble, he said it was difficult to ascertain.

“I will leave the spot only after I am fully convinced that no one is trapped in the well,” he said.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced in the morning that families of the deceased will be given a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each, while the injured will be provided Rs 50,000 each and free medical treatment.

According to local people, the well is around 50 feet deep and had about 20 feet of water.

A teenage boy fell into the well on Thursday night. While some people climbed down to rescue him, others were standing on the surrounding parapet wall to help them. They were thrown into the water when the wall crashed, eye witnesses said. — PTI