Rajasthan: Wall collapse kills 26, injures 30

Jaipur: A concrete wall crashed down on a wedding party, killing 26 people and wounding 30 others in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur on Wednesday night, turning the celebrations into mourning.

The tragedy took place at Annapurna Marriage Garden, which according to preliminary investigations was illegal and the wall had no proper structure to support it. The wall collapsed following a storm and heavy rain.

The police has booked marriage garden owners Sharanlal Sharma and Vinod Kumar. The state government announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the wall was built with raw bricks, and it did not have any additional support of pillars and beams.

Survivors told the police that the wall was also supporting a tent that got weighed down in the rain.

It could have been worse but fortunately barat had not arrived. When the incident took place, around 50 people were eating at the food stalls and they took shelter of the wall when the rain and storm lashed the venue.

“The marriage garden owners have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder,” Bharatpur SP Anil Tak said.

He added that a survey of all marriage homes and gardens in Bharatpur would soon be conducted to review safety and security measures.

But the district administration and Municipal Corporation have no answer as to why this illegal marriage garden was allowed to host functions.