JAIPUR – A tempo traveller packed with worshippers slammed into a parked trailer truck on Sunday evening, claiming at least 15 lives and leaving two others gravely wounded on the Bharat Mala Highway near Matoda village in Phalodi district.
The victims, all hailing from Jodhpur’s Sursagar locality, were heading home after paying homage at Kapil Muni Ashram in Bikaner’s Kolayat temple. Police said the collision happened around dusk, crumpling the front of the vehicle and trapping passengers inside.
“Fifteen passengers died on the spot or soon after, while the two injured were first stabilised at Osian government hospital before a green corridor rushed them to Jodhpur for advanced care,” Jodhpur Police Commissioner Om Prakash .
Rescue teams, aided by villagers and passing motorists, worked for hours to cut free the mangled wreckage. All bodies were shifted to Osian mortuary for post-mortem.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma called the crash “deeply tragic” and ordered round-the-clock medical support and full assistance to bereaved families. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot wrote on X: “Hearing of 15 deaths in Matoda, Phalodi, my heart is heavy. May the departed find peace, their kin find strength, and the wounded heal swiftly.”
Phalodi Superintendent of Police Kundan Kanwariya confirmed a special corridor was created on the Amritsar-Jamnagar expressway stretch to speed the injured to Mathuradas Mathur Hospital. Authorities are investigating why the trailer was stationary on the roadside.
The accident marks yet another grim reminder of highway hazards in the desert state, coming just weeks after a separate bus fire tragedy. Officials have promised compensation and a thorough probe into the latest disaster.
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