A speeding dumper hit 17 vehicles in a row in Jaipur Monday afternoon, killing 13 people and injuring as many, police said. Some victims had their body parts brutally torn apart. The wounded — including the truck driver — have been admitted to the trauma centre of Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital. DCP Bjarang Singh Shekhawat told The Indian Express that the truck, heading towards the highway from Road No. 4 at Loha Mandi in Harmada, hit several vehicles and some pedestrians on the sidewalk around 1 pm.
The reportedly empty dumper is believed to have caused damage over a 300-metre stretch. This is the fourth road accident in a month, taking the total number of deaths in such mishaps to 58.
“People apprehended the dumper driver at the scene. In a preliminary investigation, it was found that the driver, Kalyan Meena from Jaipur’s Virat Nagar, was intoxicated. His medical test is ongoing,” DCP Shekhawat said.
Soon after the accident, chaos broke out at SMS Hospital as families searched for their loved ones. In one corner, relatives of Suresh Meena sobbed on hearing the news of his death. Meena worked at a local sweet shop, and the news devastated his family.
Four people are on ventilator support, B.L. Yadav, the nodal officer at the SMS trauma centre, said.
“Two of the 13 died while they were being treated. The remaining bodies have been sent to the mortuary and are awaiting postmortem,” he said, adding that the others are stable.
Among the victims were Mahendra, a 38-year-old weaver from Bainad Road in Jaipur, and his 5-year-old niece Bhanu. Another niece, 19-year-old Varsha, is among the injured.
“Varsha and Bhanu had come to Jaipur from their village in Sikar to celebrate Diwali with their uncle, and Mahendra was dropping them off at the bus stop when the accident occurred,” their relative Rakesh said.
Deshraj Kumar, 45, was having tea when he heard people screaming “Bhago, Bhago [run, run]”. When he turned, he saw a truck hurtling towards his rickshaw and tried to move it, but it was too late — both he and his vehicle were hit.
Luckily, he escaped with a minor head injury. “I saw a dumper truck dragging vans, cars and people at speed. I was put into an ambulance,” Kumar, who’s awaiting discharge, told the media.
Story continues below this ad
Kamal Meena, a courier delivery executive, was taking a turn on his two-wheeler when he was hit.
“I don’t remember anything after that. By the time I regained consciousness, I was being taken to the hospital,” Meena, who had injuries on his back and hands, said.
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, who is scheduled to meet officials of the state’s transport department later Monday, offered his condolences to the bereaved.
“The loss of life in the road accident that took place in Loha Mandi area of Harmada in Jaipur is extremely sad and painful. The officials concerned have been directed to ensure proper treatment of the injured. I pray to God to give place to the departed souls in His supreme abode and give strength to the bereaved families to bear this thunderbolt,” he said in his post on X.
This is the fourth road accident in Rajasthan in the last 20 days. On October 14, an AC bus burst into flames, killing 28 people. On October 29, two people died and 10 were injured when a private sleeper coach caught fire after hitting a high-tension power line near Jaipur. On November 2, a tempo traveller rammed into a stationary truck near Phalodi in Jodhpur district, killing 15 and injuring 10.
