26 killed in wall collapse in India

At least 26 people were killed and 26 others injured after a wall of a marriage hall collapsed due to heavy rains and thunderstorm in the western Indian state of Rajasthan late Wednesday night, a senior police official said Thursday.

"The incident took place a little after 10.30 p.m. (local time) Wednesday at the marriage hall on Sevar Road in the state's Bharatpur district, where a large number of people had gathered to attend the wedding of a couple," district police chief Anil Tank said.

"Heavy showers and thunderstorm suddenly hit the area, triggering the collapse of an entire structure of wall and a tin shed under which a number of people had taken shelter just to protect themselves from rains," he said.

While 22 people, including 11 women and four children, died on the spot, four men succumbed to their injuries in a hospital where 26 others are currently undergoing treatment, the official said, adding that the condition of at least 15 injured are said to be serious.

"The bodies have been kept in a local mortuary and will be handed over to the family members once the post-mortem is done," Tank said.

Local TV channels reported that the wall was nearly 27 meters long and 3.6 meters in height and that there were food stalls set up along the wall for the wedding. TV images also showed footage of politicians and senior government officials visiting the injured in the hospital.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the deaths in the wall collapse and announced a compensation of 2 lakh rupees (3,000 U.S. dollars) for the family of those killed and 50,000 rupees (700 U.S. dollars) for the seriously injured.

"The incident in Bharatpur has pained me beyond words. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased. I hope the injured recover soon," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted, quoting Modi.

State Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has also expressed condolences at the deaths of 26 people and ordered district officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured.

Another police official said that the owner of the marriage hall has been booked for negligence and efforts are on to nab him. "A probe has been ordered into the incident. The owner of the hall will soon be arrested for erecting the makeshift structure at the venue," he added.

Wall and building collapses are common in India. Poor construction material and building practices are often blamed for many of the collapses. Critics say unscrupulous builders often pay hefty bribes to authorities who turn a blind eye to these sub-standard structures.