A rice-laden truck crashed into a crowd of pilgrims near the Shitla Mata temple in India, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more. The tragedy occurred late at night as worshippers were heading to the temple during a religious festival, infohub.kz reports.
Citing police, local news agency ANI News reported that the truck driver, coming from the village of Chinor, lost control on a steep descent. The heavy vehicle smashed through police barricades, struck people and then crashed into the temple wall.
Police stressed that heavy vehicles are restricted on this stretch of road. Nevertheless, for reasons that have not yet been established, the truck, overloaded with rice, drove into the crowd of pilgrims. Two police officers on duty at the scene were also injured.
District administrator Ruchika Chauhan confirmed that 39 injured people were taken to local hospitals, 12 of whom died. Several of the injured are in critical condition, the official said.
Local authorities have meanwhile launched an investigation to determine how the truck managed to get past checkpoints set up for the religious festival.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation of 2 lakh rupees (200,000 rupees) for the families of the dead and financial assistance for the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF).