Thirteen women and girls have died in northern India after falling to the bottom of a well after the metal plate covering it gave way under their weight, police said on Thursday (February 16th). “Thirteen women died in the incident which took place overnight from Wednesday to Thursday”said Akhil Kumar, deputy chief police officer of Kushinagar, a district in Uttar Pradesh state where the crash happened.
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During the ceremonies of a marriage in a village, women and young girls were seated on a metal plate, obstructing a well, which gave way and caused them to fall, told the police officer to the press. According to the District Magistrate, S. Rajalingam, the structure was old and did not support the weight of so many people. “The victims fell and were crushed by the rubble”he specified.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted to the announcement of this accident “heartbreaking” on Twitter. “The local administration is involved for any possible help”, he assured. Indian weddings are often grandiose events whose festivities welcome a large number of guests and last several days. In 2017, 24 wedding guests were killed when a wall collapsed during a violent storm in the western state of Rajasthan.