Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his sorrow over the accident in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district, in which at least four people died after falling into a 40-foot-deep well. In expressing his condolences, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the families of each victim who died in the accident.
Four bodies have been recovered so far from the well in Ganj Basoda, Vidisha, about 100 kilometres north of Bhopal, and reports indicate that the death toll is likely to rise. On Thursday night, about 40 people who had gathered around it to watch the rescue of a 10-year-old boy fell in after its boundary wall caved in under their collective weight.
“Anguished by the tragedy in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. My condolences to the bereaved families. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives,” read a tweet posted on the official Twitter handle of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) India.
The rescue operation has now lasted more than a day, with as many as 23 people from the Lalpathar village rescued so far, according to officials familiar with the situation. A high-level investigation into the accident has been launched.
Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra said, “Teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are trying to rescue others but the operation has slowed down due to mudslide inside the well. Three JCB machines are being used to pull out mud from the well.”
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced a 5 lakh ex-gratia for the families of the deceased and a 50,000 ex-gratia for those injured in the accident.
