Speeding truck runs over pilgrims in Gujarat’s Surendranagar, 7 killed

SURENDRANAGAR: Seven killed as speeding truck mows down pilgrims in Gujarat’s Surendranagar At least seven persons were killed and several others injured after a speeding truck ran over a group of pilgrims on a roadside in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district in the early hours of Monday, police said. The incident took place on the Lakhtar-Viramgam highway around 1.30am when the devotees were walking from Rajkot to Bahucharaji as part of a धार्मिक procession to offer prayers at a temple, Lakhtar police inspector Yogesh Patel said. A recklessly driven truck ploughed into the group on the outskirts of Bhaskarpara village in Lakhtar taluka. Six pilgrims and the driver of a dumper parked on the roadside were killed in the incident, he said, adding that four of the deceased were women. The exact number of injured persons was not immediately known, the official said. "The pilgrims were walking when they met with the accident. They had set out on foot to offer prayers at a temple in Bahucharaji when they were hit by a truck coming at full speed from behind," he said. The truck driver fled the scene after the incident, and efforts are underway to trace and arrest him, police added.