Roof Collapse at Under-Construction Hanuman Temple Kills Seven, Injures 30

At least seven devotees died and another 30 were injured when the roof of an under-construction Hanuman temple collapsed (Video of the incident)

At least seven devotees died and another 30 were injured when the roof of an under-construction Hanuman temple collapsed (Video of the incident)

PARBHANI: Five devotees died and at least 17 others were injured when the roof of an under-construction Hanuman temple collapsed at Yashwadi in Manavat taluka of Parbhani district on Saturday afternoon. The injured are undergoing treatment at various hospitals, and one of them is in critical condition, officials from the district administration said. "The temple was crowded on Saturday. The exact cause behind the mishap is yet to be ascertained. A fleet of five heavy machines and around 50 ambulances were made available at the site of the tragedy for rescue and relief work," Manwat tehsildar Pandurang Mochewad said. Parbhani district Guardian Minister Meghana Bordikar said all necessary financial assistance would be provided to the injured and the families of the victims. "Large pieces of Rajasthani pink stone, which were very heavy, were used for the construction of the temple. These stones, supported by scaffolding, fell on devotees. The temple was opened for devotees despite being under construction following requests from locals," she said. CCTV footage of the mishap went viral on social media, attracting a large crowd of locals and prompting police to undertake crowd management measures.