India truck crash kills 13 at Hindu festival

A speeding truck killed 13 people when it hit a crowd at a Hindu festival in Gwalior in India's central Madhya Pradesh state, officials said Sunday.

The heavily loaded truck reportedly lost control in the early hours of Sunday and struck devotees gathered at a temple. The Press Trust of India cited hospital officials as saying 13 people had died.

President Droupadi Murmu called the deaths “heartbreaking” and offered condolences to the families of those killed. She also prayed for the recovery of injured people.

India recorded more than 183,000 road traffic deaths in 2025, or more than 500 a day, according to the roads ministry. Official data links many crashes to inadequate roads, poorly maintained vehicles and exhausted drivers.