AT LEAST 11 people died in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district after a speeding van with 13 passengers fell into a water-filled well on Sunday afternoon, officials said. The incident occurred in Kachariya village under Narayangarh police station. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured will be given Rs 50,000 each. “Saddened by the loss of lives in an accident in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” Modi posted on X. DIG Ratlam Manoj Singh said the van plunged into the well after hitting a motorbike, killing nine passengers and the bike rider. A villager, Manohar Singh, who descended into the well to rescue the passengers also died, said the officer. The police said a leak of poisonous gas was reported from the well, adding to the complexity of the rescue operation mounted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other units. Upon receiving the distress call, local police and administrative officials, including the SDOP, police station in-charge and the SDM, arrived at the scene. Rescue operations were immediately launched and the van was pulled out with the help of a crane. Local villagers assisted in rescuing the trapped passengers, said the police. Three passengers — a woman, a child and a teenager — were brought out alive and rushed to a nearby district hospital. Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda, who rushed to the accident site, said the driver lost control of the van, which veered off the road and fell into the well. “There were 13 persons, including two children, in the van. Manohar Singh, the villager who was trying to rescue the people, also died after inhaling toxic gas (in the well),” Jagdish Devda said.
