Gwalior temple accident: 14 killed, 28 injured as truck hits devotees

Fourteen people were killed and 28 injured after a speeding truck ploughed into devotees outside Sheetla Mata temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district in the early hours of Sunday, police said.

The truck crashed into several devotees and roadside shops before hitting the temple’s entrance gate around 1.30 am on Chinor Road. The impact brought down a section of the temple wall on its left side, officials said.

Two to four of the injured were in critical condition.

The incident raised questions about security arrangements at the shrine after the truck, which had a Punjab registration number, entered a no-entry zone.

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An investigator said the truck’s brakes may have failed, forcing the driver to swerve left in an attempt to control the vehicle. Had it continued straight, it would have hit at least 600 to 700 devotees, he said.

Acting Inspector General of Police, Gwalior range, Asit Yadav told PTI that 14 people had died and 28 were injured. Earlier, a senior police official had put the number of injured at nearly 40.

The truck driver fled the scene, and police teams were searching for him. Asked how the vehicle entered the restricted zone, Yadav said the lapses would be investigated.

The bodies and injured people were taken to different hospitals, including Gwalior’s trauma centre.

Relatives of the victims gathered near the post-mortem facility at the trauma centre and expressed anger over the incident. Many questioned how a heavy truck could enter an area where, they claimed, even a bicycle could not pass.

Lokendra Singh Tomar, nephew of deceased Sarla Tomar, questioned how the truck had been allowed to enter the temple premises despite security arrangements. His aunt had been on her way to offer prayers at the shrine, he told reporters, demanding answers from those responsible for the accident.

Pawan Rathore, 23, a resident of Gadaipur in Gwalior’s Hazira area, was among those killed. He had gone to the temple to offer prayers when the accident occurred. His family took his body away amid grief.

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, Nikesh was in critical condition, with both legs fractured. He had been placed on a ventilator, Sandeep said.

Savitri, a relative of deceased Divyansh, said the family realised he was missing after the group came out of the temple following prayers. They searched for him and alerted the police but could not initially locate him. They later returned 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.

His relative told the family that he could not understand what had happened because smoke had engulfed the area, Prajapati said.

PM Modi announces compensation for victims

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed grief over the loss of lives in the Gwalior accident and announced ex gratia payments of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased person and Rs 50,000 to each injured person.

Distressed to learn about the loss of lives due to a mishap in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. My condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.

An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 18, 2026

“Distressed to learn about the loss of lives due to a mishap in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. My condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Modi said in an X post.

He said the compensation would be paid from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

The announcement followed reports of the truck crashing into devotees waiting near a temple in Gwalior early Sunday. The separate statement on the compensation put the death toll at 13 and said nearly 40 people had been injured, while police later confirmed 14 deaths and 28 injuries.