At least 26 people were killed and 28 others were injured in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan when a wall collapsed on them during a marriage function on the evening of Wednesday, May 10. The wedding guests were having their dinner when a heavy storm caused the 90-foot-long wall to collapse, said local reports.
The wall — which was about 12 feet high — collapsed along with the shed it held up, effectively trapping people under it. By the time they were extricated, several had died. Initial reports put the death toll at 22, but it rose overnight and stood at 26 on Thursday morning.
The deceased include 11 men, seven women and four children, Superintendent of Police (SP) Anil Tank told NDTV. He added: "The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals immediately and treatment was administered. One injured has been referred to the SMS [Sawai Man Singh] Hospital in Jaipur." This is in line with the instruction issued by Rajasthan chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who has also condoled the deaths.
Local reports say the death toll could be higher because food stalls had been set up right next to the wall. The bodies of the deceased have been shifted to the local mortuary. SP Tank later told PTI that a case had been registered against the owner of the wedding hall, who has been booked on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on his way to a two-day Sri Lanka visit, has announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 to those who were injured in the incident.
Watch the video of the injured here:
#Misshapen #Bharatpur #26 #died #more then 40 #injured in wedding program. #Wall #colleps on #people #while #dinner .#BREAKING #rajasthan pic.twitter.com/HNO8fVQovV
— ajeet shekhawat (@AjeetHbc) May 11, 2017
