At least 13 wedding guests, including an infant, fall into well and die in India

New Delhi, India — At least 13 people died after falling into a well at a wedding in northern India Wednesday night, authorities said.

They were sitting on a concrete slab that covered an old village well when it collapsed under their weight, senior police officer Akhil Kumar told the news agency ANI.

Seven women and six girls — including the infant — lost their lives. At least two other people who also fell in were treated at a hospital in the Kushinagar district in state of Uttar Pradesh, where the ceremony was being held.

All were guests at a pre-wedding Haldi ceremony, an Indian tradition in which turmeric paste is put on the faces, and sometimes the bodies of the bride and groom.

Footage from a hospital showed relatives of the victims, still dressed in wedding dresses, mourning.

Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi described the incident as "heart-wrenching" on Twitter.

State officials announced compensation of 400,000 Indian rupees ($5,330) for the families of the dead. Modi announced a separate compensation of 200,000 Indian rupees ($2,665) for the families of the dead and 50,000 rupees ($666) for the injured.

Indian weddings are usually grand ceremonies of feasts, song and dance attended by hundreds of guests with celebrations lasting for days.  

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.