UP Wedding Tragedy: Rs 6L Ex Gratia Announced
Kushinagar, Feb 17: In a bizzare tragedy that struck during a wedding ceremony in Uttar Pradesh, 13 people were killed, including a toddler, women and children as the group fell into a well. According to the police, the victims were sitting, standing and dancing on a slab covering an old well. The slab gave way under the weight and all on it plunged into the 50-feet deep well.
A compensation of Rs 6 lakh each has been announced for the family members of the deceased. The PM Care Fund will distribute Rs 2 lakh each to the deceased families and Rs 50,000 to each of the injured. While Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced Rs 4 lakh each to the deceased families and free medical treatment of the injured. Seven women and six girls were killed in Kushinagar on Wednesday night. There is also a one-year-old infant among the dead.
Four of the women killed were between 20-35 years age group while five were teenagers as identified so far. There was a 10-year-old girl also who lost her life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as “heartbreaking”, as he prayed for the swift recovery of the injured. “The Kushinagar incident in Uttar Pradesh is heartbreaking. I convey my deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives. I wish the injured a speedy recovery. The local administration is doing everything possible to help the sufferers,” tweeted Modi.
उत्तर प्रदेश के कुशीनगर में हुआ हादसा हृदयविदारक है। इसमें जिन लोगों को अपनी जान गंवानी पड़ी है, उनके परिजनों के प्रति मैं अपनी गहरी संवेदनाएं व्यक्त करता हूं। इसके साथ ही घायलों के जल्द से जल्द स्वस्थ होने की कामना करता हूं। स्थानीय प्रशासन हर संभव मदद में जुटा है।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 17, 2022
The victims were all wedding guests. They were rushed to the hospital immediately, however, 13 were declared dead. Relatives, still in their wedding costumes, were seen mourning the dead at the hospital as visuals appeared on television. Adityanath tweeted in Hindi, which roughly translates to: “The death of the villagers was unfortunate. The incident of Naurangiya School Tola of Kushinagar district is very sad. My condolences are with the bereaved families of the deceased.” He also prayed to “Prabhu Shri Ram” wishing for the speedy recovery of the injured.
According to District Magistrate S Rajalingam the incident occurred around 8.30 pm. He said the compensation of Rs 4 lakh would be paid to the family of each person killed in the incident. There are three girls who are critically injured and are battling for their lives in the hospital, Rajalingam said on Thursday. He also said the victims were dancing on the slab over the well during a pre-marriage ritual when it collapsed. Twenty three people fell into the 50-feet deep well, 13 died rest were admitted to the hospital, he added. A National Disaster Response Force team carried out the rescue work. Of the 13 dead, 11 have been identified: Pari (1), Arti (10), Sashikala (15), Puja (15), Sundari (15), Jyoti (14), Radhika (16), Puja (20), Meera (25), Shakantuka Devi (35) and Mamta Devi (30).
