3 dead after falling into well during Hindu ritual

MUMBAI: Three people have died after falling into a deep well during a Hindu ceremony here, officials said yesterday.

The victims — two women and a child — were among devotees performing rituals on Tuesday evening above the 9m well when they fell to their deaths.

“About 14 women fell into the well when the grill they were sitting on gave way and crashed,” Tanaji Kamble, a spokesman for Mumbai’s disaster management department, said.

Pictures from the scene showed emergency crews pumping water from the depths of the wide, murky well.

Eleven women were rescued, with five rushed to hospital.

Fatalities and injuries are common during India’s often chaotic religious festivities.

Last year, six women were killed during a stampede at a Hindu festival in West Bengal state.

In 2016, two dozen devotees died in a crush at the Holy city of Varanasi on the Ganges River.