A mine crew used a JCB, a Poclain excavator and a Hydra crane to rescue pilgrims trapped beneath an overturned truck at the Sheetla Mata temple fair in Gwalior in the early hours of Sunday, according to a report by the Times of India. The operation began within minutes of local mine workers receiving an alert and continued for hours as police, temple committee members and residents worked to reach the injured.
The truck had crushed pilgrims near the temple, leaving several people pinned underneath it. Satendra Singh, a Santau resident employed at an iron mine located about a kilometre from the temple, was among the first to reach the site after hearing about the accident. He found people trapped beneath the vehicle, with some struggling to breathe, and contacted the mine for immediate assistance, the report said.
JCB operator Prince Kumar Prajapati reached the location with a JCB after police cleared a route for the heavy machinery. The first challenge was to create enough space for the trapped victims to breathe and for rescuers to reach them. According to those involved in the operation, Prajapati used the machine’s bucket to puncture the truck’s tyres after realising that victims were trapped beneath them. The deflating tyres created additional breathing space beneath the overturned vehicle.
A Poclain excavator from the mine arrived soon afterwards. The JCB and excavator were used together to lift the truck sufficiently for rescuers to pull out the injured people. Those rescued were then moved to hospital, according to the report. The account does not provide the total number of people trapped, rescued or injured in the incident.
A Hydra mobile crane later arrived from the city and helped bring the overturned truck back upright. Mine workers continued operating the equipment alongside police personnel, temple committee members and local residents. Locals said the mine staff worked with their machinery from the previous night into the afternoon as the rescue operation continued.
The response relied on equipment that was already available at an iron mine near Santau village, rather than waiting for a specialised rescue unit to arrive. Police support in clearing a route allowed the heavy machinery to reach the accident site, while the mine crew operated the machines in coordination with people already attempting to free those trapped beneath the truck.
The reported rescue highlights the importance of access for emergency equipment at crowded public gatherings, particularly where heavy vehicles, temporary structures and large visitor flows operate in close proximity. In this case, the immediate availability of construction and mining equipment helped create access to victims after the vehicle overturned. The Times of India report did not provide details of the cause of the crash, the vehicle’s operator, the number of casualties or any police action following the incident.
