Death toll in Vidisha well incident rises to 11, PM Modi announces Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for each kin of deceased

New Delhi: Expressing grief over the lives lost, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (July 16) announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who died after falling into a well in the Ganj Basoda area in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha. Eleven bodies were recovered from the well in Ganj Basoda area on late Friday night, PTI reported.  

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) wrote, "Anguished by the tragedy in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. My condolences to the bereaved families. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives.”

Anguished by the tragedy in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. My condolences to the bereaved families. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives: PM @narendramodi — PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 16, 2021

Earlier, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had declared to provide an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of those who died in the incident. A compensation of Rs 50,000 to the injured along with free medical treatment will also be provided, the CM said. 

A rescue operation was going on to pull a teenage boy out of the well on Thursday night. The incident occurred when the parapet wall of the well in Lal Patar village in Ganj Basoda area, 50 km from Vidisha, collapsed. During the rescue operation, a tractor deployed for work skidded into the well with four policemen. State Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang told PTI that 11 bodies were recovered and 19 were pulled out alive from the well. The last body retrieved from the well was that of the boy, the news agency reported.

The rescue operation was over and all the missing persons were accounted for, Sarang added. 

According to local people, the well, around 50 feet deep, had about 20 feet of water. While some people had climbed down to rescue the boy, others were standing on the parapet wall to help them. These people were thrown into the water when the surrounding wall gave way, eye witnesses said.

(With agency inputs)

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