23 hurt in pandal collapse in Indore

At least 23 people were injured today when heavy rains brought down a pandal of a programme being attended by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here.
All dignitaries, including Mahajan, Naidu and Chouhan who were present on the dais, are safe, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Ajay Dev Sharma told PTI.
The pandal was erected for 'Pranam Indore' programme which was organised this evening to thank people in view of Indore being declared as the cleanest city in the country under the recent 'Swachh survekshan 2017'.
The ADM said four persons sustained serious injuries to chest and head in the incident and were admitted to ICU of a hospital here. There condition is stable now, he added.

According to eye-witnesses, the pandal came down amid thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rain, triggering panic among hundreds of people who were present there.
While power supply got snapped, scared people started running helter-skelter, they said, adding rains caused water- logging at the venue.
The chief minister personally monitored the rescue work at the spot and directed officials to rush the injured persons to hospital.
"All the dignitaries including Naidu and Mahajan are safe," Chouhan later said in a tweet.