Gwalior Temple Tragedy: A night of devotion turned into tragedy at the 125-year-old Sheetla Mata temple in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district when a speeding truck loaded with paddy barreled through a no-entry zone in the early hours of Sunday, killing 15 people and injuring 28 others. Eyewitnesses described sudden horror, widespread panic, and a struggle to save loved ones.

"It Came Like A Storm": Eyewitnesses Describe Horror

Devotees gathered on Chinor Road were standing in line to offer prayers when at around 1:30 AM a Punjab-registered vehicle broke through the no-entry zone and raced down a slope leading toward the shrine.

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Eyewitnesses described the heavy commercial vehicle coming in "like a storm" through the no-entry zone, leaving people with no time to react. The truck crashed into several shops, roadside shops before hitting the temple's entrance gate and bringing down a wall.

Speaking to news agency PTI, Saurabh, a devotee who was near the shrine during the incident, recalled the sudden chaos.

"The road near the temple was on a slope, and the truck came speeding down it. Nobody could understand what had happened. We realised the severity only when we heard people screaming," he said.

While Saurabh managed to move ahead in time, his brother became trapped underneath the vehicle. Several others caught under the truck struggled to pull themselves out.

Gajendra Prajapati, who runs a shop selling puja items near the shrine, said the impact was so violent that the entire area was engulfed in a thick cloud of dust and smoke.

Eyewitnesses Demand Answers Over Delays

The tragedy has sparked anger among eyewitnesses and residents. Heavy vehicle movement is strictly banned near the shrine during Navratri, with designated parking set up nearly a kilometre away.

Crowds at the scene questioned how a massive truck reached the crowded shrine despite these restrictions, calling for a thorough probe and strict action against those responsible.

Explaining the sequence of events, Gwalior Collector Ruchika Chouhan said that "the truck had crashed through police barricades and barreled towards the temple grounds at high speed." She added that two police personnel were also injured while attempting to stop the vehicle.

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Eyewitnesses also pointed to significant delays in rescue operations. As the heavy paddy-laden truck could not be moved manually, five cranes had to be deployed around 4:00 AM, nearly two and a half hours after the crash, to lift the vehicle and free those trapped beneath it.

Grieving family members also alleged delays in transporting victims to hospitals. Kiran, who lost her 19-year-old son, alleged that her boy "was still breathing after the accident," but delays in shifting him to a hospital ultimately cost him his life.

RTO To Examine Truck, Financial Aid Announced

Following the incident, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) was directed to examine the truck.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government has announced financial relief for the victims and their families, offering Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each deceased person, Rs 2 lakh for those with serious injuries, and Rs 50,000 for persons sustaining minor injuries.

(With Inputs From PTI)