Fifteen people were killed and three others injured when a tempo traveller crashed into a parked truck on the Bharat Mala Expressway in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur on Sunday night.
According to Phalodi Superintendent of Police Kundan Kanwaria, the victims were returning to Jodhpur after visiting the Kolayat temple, around 220 kilometres away. All the victims were residents of the Phalodi area in Jodhpur.
The injured were initially taken to a nearby hospital and later shifted to Jodhpur via a green corridor for advanced treatment.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Achal Singh Deora said the speeding tempo traveller rammed into a stationary truck on the roadside, leaving the vehicle completely mangled. The impact was so severe that several passengers were trapped inside the wreckage.
Police teams, along with local residents and passing motorists, carried out rescue operations to retrieve the bodies and assist the injured. “The bodies were stuck in the seats due to the force of the collision. We faced great difficulty in removing them,” said Phalodi Police Station Officer Amanaram.
Jodhpur Police Commissioner Om Prakash Mathuradas Mathur and Superintendent Vikas Rajpurohit visited the hospital to review the treatment arrangements for the injured.
Rescue and relief operations continued late into the night as authorities worked to identify the victims and inform their families.
However, Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who expressed his sorrow over the incident, cited the death toll as 18.
He tweeted, “I have just received news in Patna that 18 people have died in a road accident in Matoda, Phalodi. I am deeply saddened to hear this. I pray to God to grant all the deceased a place in His feet, give courage to their families, and grant a speedy recovery to the injured”.
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