On Saturday afternoon, a roof structure collapsed at a Hindu temple in Maharashtra’s Parbhani district, killing several worshippers and trapping dozens beneath rubble. The under-construction assembly hall, known as a sabha mandap, gave way while devotees gathered at the Yashwadi Maruti Temple, also referred to as the Hanuman Temple, during a period of heavy footfall.

Rescue teams worked into the evening to extricate survivors and bodies from the debris. Indian media outlets have issued conflicting casualty figures, with reports ranging from four to seven confirmed deaths, and between 32 and 40 people pulled out alive. Local authorities have not yet officially validated the numbers, but preliminary assessments suggest that between 20 and 25 individuals may remain unaccounted for. Ambulances ferried the injured to Parbhani Civil Hospital.

A district minister, Meghana Bordikar, told reporters that the temple structure incorporated large, heavy stones of pink Rajasthan marble, which were supported by scaffolding and collapsed onto the congregation. She noted that the temple had been opened to worshippers despite ongoing construction, at the request of local residents. Security camera footage from the site, which circulated online, captured the moment the roof caved in, triggering panic among the crowd.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted condolences on social media, describing “the loss of lives due to the collapse of a wall in Parbhani” — a phrasing that diverges from accounts on the ground, which consistently point to a roof failure. Rescue operations, involving disaster management teams, police, and heavy machinery, are continuing. District officials said an investigation into the structural integrity of the building has begun.