India, April 6 -- A day after nine members of a family died when their vehicle fell into an unprotected, water-filled, roadside well in Dindori, a heavy, unsettling silence hangs over Indore village of the taluka.

In a settlement of around 3,000 people, where daily life revolves round farming, the loss has struck at the heart of the community. At the centre of this tragedy is 35-year-old Anil Manohar Dargode, who has neither slept nor eaten since Friday night. Anil, a tomato grower, had watched, helplessly, as the multi-utility vehicle carrying his family disappeared into the deep darkness of the well. Inside the vehicle were his wife Asha, son Shreyas and daughter Shravani. They were among the nine victims - all relatives - who died in ...