After falling into a well during a wedding ceremony in India, about 13 wedding guests, all women and girls, including a baby, have lost their lives.
The incident which occured yesterday, February 16, took place after the victims who were sitting on a metal slab of the well fell to their death after the slab succumbed to their weight and collapsed at a village in Uttar Pradesh, according to officials.
Emergency services were called to find the victims around 8.30 pm in Naurangia, Kushinager, but it was too late.
Ten people were also injured in the incident, reports local media.
Officials said guests were performing a pre-wedding ritual named “haldi” when the tragic incident took place.
District Magistrate of Kushinagar, S Rajalingam told reporters that victims were aged from 35 to as young as a one-year-old, according to publication Mint.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his heartbreak over the devastating deaths and issued a statement on Twitter.
He wrote: “The accident in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh is heart-wrenching.
“I express my deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in this. With this, I wish the injured a speedy recovery.
“The local administration is providing all possible help.”