Kushinagar (UP), Feb 17 (PTI) Loud wails echoed in nondescript Nebua Naurangia village of Kushinagar district on Thursday after 13 women and young girls fell into a well during a wedding ritual and died.

The incident, in which at least 10 people were also injured, occurred on Wednesday night when an iron grille they were sitting on broke, officials and family members said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed sorrow over the incident.

The grief-stricken family announced that they won't take out the 'baraat' (groom's wedding procession) after the tragedy. Only the groom, Amit Kushwaha, travelled in a car for the wedding.

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Parmeshwar Kushwaha, the groom's father, said that when tragedy struck, the pre-wedding ritual of "Matkorba" on the occasion of "Haldi" was in progress near an old and dilapidated well in the village, about 10 km from the Kushinagar district headquarters.

Some women and children were sitting on the iron grille and it suddenly broke and they fell into the well, District Magistrate (DM) S Rajalingam said.

Narrating the incident, Kushwaha said, "Actually the well is old and it was covered with a slab. During the ritual, girls were standing on the slab when it broke and they all fell inside the well."

"It is heartbreaking and I have decided that no procession will go with my son for the wedding. Only the groom will go and get married in a very simple manner as we are not in the state to celebrate," he added.

On getting information about the tragic incident, Inspector Girjesh Upadhaya reached the spot. Police personnel and villagers pulled out all 23 people who had fallen into the well and rushed them to a hospital. Thirteen of them were declared dead by doctors, the officials said.

Senior administrative and police officials also reached the spot.

No one from Kushwaha's family died in the incident. His granddaughter Payal fell into the well but was rescued.

"We were singing and dancing and suddenly the slab broke and within seconds we all fell in the well. I was drowning in the well but somehow I was rescued," a woman of the village said.

Ramesh Chaurasia lost his wife Mamta Devi. His brother's wife Shakuntala Devi and two-year-old daughter Pari Chaurasia are also among the dead.

"I don't know what to do and say as I have lost three family members. My wife died and I don't know how I'm going to survive. I was not with them as the programme was meant for women. We all tried to save them and many of the women and girls were rescued by the villagers but the ambulance was very late," he said.

A posse of police personnel were seen guarding the well where the tragedy stuck.

The old well is about 100 metres away from Kushwaha's home.

According to the villagers, the well is more than 70 years old and the locals often perform rituals near it, especially during weddings.

"The well was in use earlier but since many years it has not been used. Ten years ago, the well was covered with a slab. The accident took many lives and we can never forget it," Gyan Chaurasia, a resident of the village, said.

"The village was adopted by the MP of the area, Vijay Dubey, but no one cared to provide safety measures for the well," he alleged.

Villagers claimed that the ambulances reached the spot over an hour late even after several calls. Furious over the episode, many people blocked the 28-B National Highway. The roadblock was later lifted.

"The ambulances came very late, and I think more people could have been saved had they arrived earlier. It was dark in the night but the police came in time and they helped in rescuing people," Pappu Kushwaha, a resident of the village, said.

On the delay by ambulances in reaching the spot, DM Rajalingam said, "The villagers claimed that ambulances were late. Call logs will be checked and whosoever is found guilty will face strict action."

An assistance of Rs 4 lakh will be given to the family of each deceased, he said.

The 11 bodies were cremated on Thursday at Paniyahwa ghat on the bank of Narayani river in the village . The bodies of two children were buried near the ghat.

A social worker of the area, Vipin Kumar, who was present at the cremation ground, said 12 families lost 13 people in the accident. Two children, including two-year-old Pari, were buried in the ground near the ghat.

Pari was in her mother's lap when the incident occurred but she died and her mother was saved.

The cremation of Puja Yadav was delayed as the family waited for the arrival of her father Balwant Yadav, an Army man posted in Rajasthan.

The 20-year-old, who was Balwant's only daughter, saved the lives of five people before dying under the weight of others. Her mother, Lilawati Yadav, had also fallen in the well with her but Puja, somehow, pushed her away following which she was rescued.

Puja was a BA second year student and she wanted to follow her father's footsteps, so she was preparing for the Army exam in Lucknow. She had come to the village during vacation. She has twin brothers who are students of class 9.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)