GWALIOR, Oct 18 (Agencies): Fourteen persons were killed, and at least 28 others suffered injuries when a speeding truck ploughed into several devotees before crashing into a temple’s entry gate in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district in the wee hours of Sunday, police said.
A wall of the temple crashed under the impact of the collision, they said, adding that two to four of the injured persons were critical.
The incident, which occurred around 1.30 am outside the Sheetla Mata temple near a slope on Chinor Road, raised concerns about security arrangements at the shrine, as the truck, with a Punjab registration number, entered the no-entry zone, officials said.
The truck crashed into several devotees and roadside shops before hitting the temple’s entrance gate, an official said.
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, he said, it would have ploughed into at least 600 to 700 devotees.
Fourteen persons were killed and 28 injured, acting Inspector General of Police, Gwalior range, Asit Yadav said.
The impact brought down a temple wall on the structure’s left side, he said.
Earlier, a senior police official had said that nearly 40 persons were injured in the incident.
The truck driver fled from the spot, and police teams were searching for him.
Asked how the truck entered the no-entry zone, Yadav said the lapses will be investigated.
After the incident, the bodies and injured persons were shifted to different hospitals, including Gwalior’s trauma centre.
Relatives of victims gathered near the post-mortem facility at the trauma centre and expressed anger over the incident, with many questioning 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, asked how the truck was allowed to enter the temple premises despite security arrangements.
His aunt was on her way to offer prayers at the shrine, he told reporters and demanded answers from those responsible for the accident.
Pawan Rathore (23), a resident of Gadaipur in Gwalior’s Hazira area, was among those killed. His family took the 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 am informing them that Nikesh had been hurt at the temple. When they reached the hospital, he was in critical condition with both legs fractured and was placed on a ventilator, he added.
Savitri, a relative of the deceased Divyansh, said the family realised he was missing after the group came out of the temple following prayers. Despite searching for him and alerting the police, they could not locate him at first. Later, they went back 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.
He added that his relative told the family he could not comprehend what had happened, as smoke had engulfed the area.