Parbhani: At least three people lost their lives and several others sustained serious injuries after the concrete roof slab of a local temple collapsed at Yashwadi village in Maharashtra’s Parbhani district on Saturday afternoon. The tragic incident occurred at a time when the religious site was experiencing a heavy rush of visitors due to weekend prayers.
The village where the disaster took place is situated along the Manwat road, approximately 190 kilometres away from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Local law enforcement officials stated that the structural collapse involved the roof section of the temple’s ‘sabha-mandap’, which serves as the outer assembly hall for gatherings and religious congregations. The structural failure happened around 3:30 p.m., trapping multiple people under heavy debris.
Emergency response teams from the local police stations and the district administration rushed to the spot immediately after receiving reports of the incident to initiate a large-scale rescue operation. Disaster management officials confirmed that while three casualties were declared at the site, emergency workers successfully pulled out around 25 trapped individuals from beneath the collapsed material during the initial rescue phase.
Local administrative officials noted that the temple was significantly crowded because Saturday is traditionally a day dedicated to special prayers for Lord Hanuman, drawing larger numbers of devotees from nearby rural localities. Emergency personnel, medical teams, and local volunteers are continuing to clear the rubble to ensure no further victims remain trapped underneath the structural remains.