Several people fall into well while rescuing girl in MP's Vidisha; four dead, 19 pulled out safely

Several people fell into a well while trying to rescue a girl who had fallen into it in this Madhya Pradesh district on Thursday evening, police said. At least four bodies have been pulled out of the well so far, with rescue operations still underway, according to ANI.  Nineteen people have been rescued and rushed to a hospital. The water from the well is being pumped out, Vidisha Guardian Minister Vishwas Sarang told PTI from the spot. The operation will take time, the minister, who rushed to the scene following Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’’s direction, said. Meanwhile, Chouhan has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 Lakhs each for the next of the kin of the deceased and a compensation of Rs 50,000 each to the injured. The injured will also be provided free medical treatment. According to locals, the well is around 50 feet deep with a water level of about 20 feet. The incident took place at Ganj Basoda, about 50 km from the district headquarters. Chouhan tweeted saying a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team has been rushed to the spot. “19 people have been rescued so far. NDRF & SDRF are also here. Land here is prone to subsidence, it’s happening again and again. It’ll be difficult to say the exact toll until the operation concludes,” Sarang told ANI. The girl fell into the well around 9 pm and some people climbed down to rescue her while others were standing on the parapet wall around it to help them, a police official said. The wall suddenly crashed, throwing those standing on it into the water, he said, adding that several of them were feared trapped under the rubble. Around 11 pm, a tractor engaged in the rescue operation, along with four policemen, skidded into the well when the area around it caved in, eyewitnesses said. Chouhan tweeted saying he has spoken to the chief secretary as well as the director general of police about the incident. “An SDRF team left for the spot with all necessary equipment for the rescue operation. The Commissioner and IG too have left for the incident site. I am continuously taking stock of the situation and in live contact,” he said.