35 people die in India after well cover collapses

The well had not been in use for years. [File, Standard]

Indian officials said Friday at least 35 people fell to their deaths Thursday and 16 were injured when the cover of a well collapsed in a temple complex in Indore in Madhya Pradesh state. One person remains unaccounted for.

"The stepwell was covered, but the slab covering it collapsed because of the crowd and extra load on it," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

The well had not been in use for years.

Dozens of emergency workers, including army personnel, were called to the site where worshippers had been celebrating a festival for the deity Rama.