Officials reported that on Friday, the bodies of 36 people were discovered in a well at a Hindu temple in central India, after the cover over the well collapsed, causing many festival-goers to fall into the muddy water.

The incident occurred on Thursday at a temple complex in Indore, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Footage of the collapse showed a scene of chaos, with people frantically trying to escape.

In order to help people flee, an excavator was used to knock down a wall of the decades-old temple.

The rescue effort involved nearly 140 personnel, including members of the army, who used ropes and ladders to retrieve the bodies from the well, which was made difficult by the debris and narrow path.

“We have recovered 36 bodies and everybody is accounted for now,” Pawan Kumar Sharma, commissioner of the local municipal corporation, told The Associated Press.

According to Sharma, the secretary of the temple board was one of the casualties, while the president is recuperating from injuries.

Written by staff