Twelve people were killed and 29 injured after a truck ran over devotees near Shitala Mata Temple in Gwalior before crashing into the temple’s entrance gate late on Saturday, police said. The force of the impact sent a section of the gateway wall crashing down, trapping several people under the debris, they added.
The truck then broke through the barricades and struck the entrance gate after running over devotees and stalls. Rescue teams and police immediately rushed to the spot and pulled out those trapped under the collapsed wall. Police said five-six prasad stalls were damaged and nearly 41 people were hit in the accident.
A preliminary investigation suggested a mechanical failure that caused the driver to lose control, according to Gwalior superintendent of police (SP) Dharamveer Yadav. “Around 1.30am, a truck laden with paddy coming from the Chinor side was stopped by police at the barricade, but the driver lost control on the slope and plowed into roadside stalls and devotees,” he said.
