GWALIOR: Fifteen persons, including several teenagers, lost their lives and 28 were injured when a speeding truck ploughed into devotees gathered for Navratri prayers outside the Sheetla Mata temple in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district early on Sunday, police said.
The incident occurred around 1.30 am on Chinor Road when an uncontrolled truck travelling downhill ran over devotees who were going to and returning from the temple during the ongoing Sharadiya Navratri celebrations.
The truck, bearing a Punjab registration number, rammed into devotees and makeshift roadside shops before crashing into the temple’s entrance gate. The impact brought down a portion of the temple wall, officials said.
The temple was crowded with devotees even past midnight amid the rush during the Navratri festivities, raising questions about security arrangements at the shrine. The truck had entered a no-entry zone despite the presence of large numbers of devotees.
Fourteen people were killed and 28 injured, acting Inspector General of Police, Gwalior range, Asit Yadav said. Earlier, a senior police official had said that nearly 40 people were injured.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Sunday ordered an investigation into the accident and announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the families of the deceased. The persons who suffered minor injuries would receive financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each, he added.
"The accident occurred because the truck entered a prohibited area," Yadav told reporters in Indore.
Gwalior District Collector Ruchika Chauhan said the truck was coming from Chinor when it suddenly veered to the left while descending the slope, resulting in the accident.
An investigator said the truck’s brakes may have failed, forcing the driver to swerve left in a desperate attempt to control the vehicle. Had it continued straight, it could have ploughed into 600 to 700 devotees, the investigator said.
Two to four of the injured were reported to be in critical condition. The injured reportedly included two police personnel who were on duty at the time of the accident.
The truck driver fled the scene, and police teams were searching for him. Asked how the vehicle entered the no-entry zone, Yadav said the lapses would be investigated.
Following the accident, the bodies and injured people were shifted to different hospitals, including Gwalior’s trauma centre.
Relatives of the victims gathered near the post-mortem facility at the trauma centre and expressed anger over the incident. Many questioned how a heavy truck could enter an area where, they claimed, even a bicycle could not pass.
Lokendra Singh Tomar, nephew of the deceased Sarla Tomar, questioned how the truck had been allowed to enter the temple premises despite the security arrangements.
His aunt had been on her way to offer prayers at the shrine when the accident occurred, he told reporters, demanding answers from those responsible.
Pawan Rathore (23), a resident of Gadaipur in Gwalior’s Hazira area, was among those killed. His family took his body away amid inconsolable grief. He had gone to the temple to offer prayers when the accident occurred.
Sandeep, a relative of injured devotee Nikesh, said the family received a phone call around 5.00 am informing them that Nikesh had been injured at the temple. When they reached the hospital, he was in critical condition, with both legs fractured, and had been placed on a ventilator, he added.
Savitri, a relative of the deceased Divyansh, said the family realised he was missing after the group left the temple following prayers. Despite searching for him and alerting the police, they were initially unable to locate him. They later returned inside and identified him, she said.
Gajendra Prajapati, the brother-in-law of an injured man, said his relative, who ran a shop at the temple, was admitted to hospital after the accident. His relative told the family that he could not understand what had happened, as smoke had engulfed the area, Prajapati added.
Ravi, a devotee who narrowly escaped the accident, alleged that security arrangements were inadequate despite the large crowd. He questioned how a speeding truck could enter a road crowded with devotees and said he and his family escaped the accident by seconds.
Jaya Arogya Government Hospital doctor Sudhir Saxena said several patients remained in critical condition, while others were reported to be out of danger. Multiple teams of doctors were treating the injured, he added.
Eight of the deceased had been identified, with the victims’ ages ranging from 15 to 50 years, according to reports from Gwalior.
