At least 13 people, including seven women and six girls, have died after accidentally falling into a well during wedding celebrations at a village in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district.
The women were in the 20-35 age group and one of the children was a year-old infant, bdnews24.com reports citing NDTV.
According to officials, women and children at the wedding were sitting on a slab that covered an old well. The slab collapsed under the weight and those sitting on it fell in. They were rushed to the hospital, where 13 people were declared dead.
Two others have suffered serious injuries in the incident.
Visuals from the hospital showed relatives, still in their wedding finery, mourning the loved ones lost in the tragedy.
"We have received information that 11 people have died and two others have been seriously injured after they accidentally fell into a well,” District Magistrate S Rajalingam initially told the media.
Later, speaking to news agency ANI, Akhil Kumar, ADG, Gorakhpur Zone, said the death count had climbed to 13. "The incident occurred last night around 8:30 pm in Nebua Naurangia, Kushinagar, during a wedding programme when some people were sitting on a slab covering a well. The slab broke under the weight," Mr Kumar said.
The district magistrate said compensation of 400,000 rupees would be paid to the family of each person killed in the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as "heart-rending", expressed his condolences and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed his condolences over the tragedy. The official handle of the Chief Minister's Office tweeted that he has directed officials concerned to conduct rescue and relief operations immediately and provide proper treatment to the injured.
The incident is also being investigated.
