IN PHOTOS | Indore tragedy: 36 dead as roof of temple stepwell caves in, traps people

A concrete slab-roof covering an ancient stepwell caved in during the Ram Navami celebration at the Beleshwar Jhulelal Mahadev Temple in Indore's Patel Nagar area, on Thursday, 30 March 2023 at 11 am. 36 people lost their lives and several sustained injuries.

A concrete slab-roof covering an ancient stepwell caved in during the Ram Navami celebration at the Beleshwar Jhulelal Mahadev Temple in Indore's Patel Nagar area, on Thursday, 30 March 2023 at 11 am. 36 people lost their lives and several sustained injuries. (Photo | AP) 

Witnesses said a large crowd of devotees had thronged the temple to perform a fire ritual and celebrate the festival for the deity Rama. (Photo | PTI)

After the retrieval of 21 more bodies early morning today, the total death toll from Thursday’s tragedy rose to 36. With the recovery of another body, identified as that of 53-year-old old Sunil Solanki, the official death toll is now 36. (Photo | PTI)

Dozens of people fell into the muddy water when the well’s cover collapsed. (Photo | PTI)

Nearly 140 rescuers, including army personnel, used ropes and ladders to pull the bodies from the well after pumping out the water. A narrow path and debris in the well made the task difficult. (Photo | AP)

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan met with the injured including twin sisters at a private hospital. He then visited the tragedy site to take stock of the rescue operations carried out by the Indian Army in association with the National Disaster Response Fund and State Disaster Emergency Response Force teams. (Photo | PTI)

A magisterial probe has already been instituted to probe the mishap. A criminal case u/s 304 IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) has been registered at the Juni Indore police station, against the chairman and secretary of the private trust which managed the affairs at the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhoolelal Temple. (Photo | AP)

Kin carry bodies of victims of the accident in Indore. (Photo | AP)