Overview
- A truck loaded with paddy lost control on a downhill stretch of Chinor Road early Sunday and crashed into devotees, roadside shops and the entrance of the Sheetla/Shitala Mata Temple, killing 14 people and injuring about 27, including two police personnel.
- Local administration and police say ambulances and relief teams were dispatched immediately and the injured were admitted to city hospitals with about five reported in critical condition.
- Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced ex gratia payments of Rs 4 lakh for each family of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 for other injured, and ordered free treatment while sending ministers to Gwalior to oversee relief.
- Investigations are under way into how the truck crossed festival roadblocks and police checkpoints and into possible mechanical failure, with the Regional Transport Office asked to inspect the vehicle's brakes and technical condition.
- Relatives have accused police of delayed rescue and tensions flared at the postmortem centre, a dispute that could prompt a review of Navratri traffic controls and enforcement on routes to the temple.