Rajasthan:15 die as tempo traveller rams stationary truck in Phalodi

In Rajasthan, at least 15 people, including 10 women and four children, died and two others were injured when a tempo traveller rammed into a stationary trailer truck in Phalodi area on Sunday evening, police said. The incident occurred near Matoda village on the Bharat Mala Highway when the tempo traveller was carrying devotees from Bikaner's Kolayat temple to Jodhpur, said Jodhpur Police Commissioner Om Prakash. "Fifteen passengers died on the spot, while two women sustained serious injuries. The injured were first taken to a hospital in Osian and later referred to Jodhpur," the officer said. Phalodi district collector Shweta Chouhan confirmed 15 deaths on the spot. Apart from the women and children, the tempo driver also died on the spot, she said.
All passengers were trapped inside the mangled vehicle, with many bodies trapped in the twisted metal and seats. The impact was so loud that people from nearby areas rushed to the scene and launched a rescue operation. Rescue operations were launched immediately, with police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local villagers working together to extract the injured and deceased from the wreckage.