13 die in village well collapse at wedding in India

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Thirteen women and girls died while singing and dancing at a wedding as a concrete slab covering an abandoned village well collapsed under their weight in northern India, an official said Thursday.

Ten other villagers were injured as they also fell into the well and were hospitalized in Kushinagar district in Uttar Pradesh state on Wednesday night, said Magistrate S. Rajalingam.

The well was more than 15 meters (50 feet) deep, said Muralidhar Singh, a rescuer.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet described the incident as heart-rending and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured.

Authorities are investigating the incident in the village, which is about 300 kilometers (200 miles) east of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.