Rajasthan wall collapse: Modi announces Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia; case registered against marriage hall owner

A case was registered against the owner of a marriage hall in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district where a wall collapsed following a storm leaving 24 dead on Wednesday.

While 23 people were killed on Wednesday in the incident, one of the victims succumbed to injuries on Thursday. Twenty-six persons were injured and the condition of four of them is stated to be critical.

Superintendent of Police Anil Tank said the marriage home owner has been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

He said a survey of all the marriage homes and gardens in Bharatpur will be conduced to review safety and security measures.

A marriage function was going on in the hall when the storm hit the area on Wednesday. People had taken shelter under a shed attached to a wall which collapsed suddenly.

He said the entire wall and the shed collapsed and they got trapped. The weather suddenly changed and heavy winds started blowing leading to the incident at the Sewar Road.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed pain at the loss of lives in a wall collapse during a wedding at Rajasthan's Bharatpur and announced Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.

The prime minister also announced Rs 50,000 for those 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," he said.

Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of those killed, the PMO said.