Gwalior, Oct 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed grief over the loss of lives in a truck accident near Sheetla Mata Temple in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, announcing an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

In a post shared on X, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said, "Distressed to learn about the loss of lives due to a mishap in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. My condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured."

"An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," the post added.

The death toll in the accident rose to 14 on Sunday, according to Gwalior Collector Ruchika Chauhan. The deceased include two women, two children below the age of 18 and ten men. Three to four injured people remain critically ill, while several others have been discharged after receiving initial treatment.

The accident occurred around 1.30 am when a truck loaded with paddy, reportedly travelling from the Chhinor direction, lost control while descending a steep slope and crashed into devotees gathered near Sheetla Mata Temple. The truck allegedly broke through barricades and a police checkpoint before running over pilgrims and hitting the temple's outer wall and gate.

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According to Gwalior Senior Superintendent of Police Dharmveer Singh, 39 people were taken to hospital following the accident, including two police personnel who were on duty at the spot. Both policemen were injured and are undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident and announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the families of each deceased person, Rs 2 lakh to each seriously injured person and Rs 50,000 to other injured people. He also said that all injured victims would receive free treatment.