Madhya Pradesh Temple wall collapse: 9 children killed due to heavy rainfall

In Madhya Pradesh, nine children were killed in a temple wall collapse, and many others feared trapped.

On Sunday morning, August 4, nine children were reported as killed in a temple wall collapse in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district due to heavy rainfall, as said by the authorities. The tragic incident involved children who were buried under the debris of the collapsed wall. Many other children are injured and are under treatment, and all the debris has been removed from the incident’s site, said Deepak Arya, Sagar District Collector.

Heavy rainfall resulted in the collapse of the temple wall.

Sagar district recorded incessant rainfall on the weekend. This resulted in the temple wall collapse at around 8.30 am on Sunday. Heavy rains weakened the foundation of the structure. The incident occurred during a religious program in Shahpur village under the Rehli assembly seat, as informed by an officer. The district collector said, “…The incident happened around 8.30 am. The wall fell on the children, due to which 9 children died and 2 are undergoing treatment in the hospital…” Children who died in the wall collapse were aged between 10-15 years.

The temple wall collapsed when earthen Shivalings were being made.

The incident occurred at Hardayal Temple in Sagar district, the walls of which were 50 years old, as per a report by India Today. As part of the Sawan festivities at the temple, earthen Shivalings were being made when the wall collapsed. Visuals showed police officers surrounding the area and bulldozers digging through the debris to rescue trapped children.

This incident comes only after a day of another wall collapse in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district, killing four children after they got trapped under the rubble. Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, expressed grief on the tragic incident which took place in Rewa, announcing an ex gratia amount of ₹2 lakh each for the families of the victim children.