Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A tragedy unfolded on Monday evening on Indore’s bustling Airport Road near Shikshak Nagar when a speeding truck, allegedly driven by a heavily inebriated man, ploughed through unsuspecting pedestrians and vehicles, leaving at least two dead and 11 injured.
The truck, coming from Vidya Palace, veered out of control and began a terrifying spree of destruction. Eyewitnesses describe the vehicle as a “monster on wheels,” crushing everything in sight over a stretch of nearly 1.5 kilometres.
“It was like a war zone,” said Pradeep Dewaliya, who stood helplessly on the roadside. “The truck first rammed into a youth on a motorcycle, then kept moving, hitting cars, e-rickshaws, auto-rickshaws and even pedestrians. People were screaming and running, but there was no stopping it.”
In one of the most gut-wrenching moments, the truck dragged a motorcyclist for over 500 metres. When it finally halted, the mangled bike caught fire — flames quickly engulfed the front of the truck and tragically set the motorcyclist ablaze as he lay near its wheel.
A few brave bystanders rushed forward, pulling the burning body from the wreckage and managing to douse the flames — but the damage was already done.
“It was the most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen,” said one local vendor. “He was alive when the fire started. We tried to save him... but it was too late.”
Police and emergency personnel reached the scene shortly after and rushed the injured to nearby hospitals. Additional Police Commissioner Amit Singh confirmed the arrest of the truck driver, who is being questioned. "Preliminary findings suggest he was heavily drunk. Two people died on the spot, and several others are injured," Singh said.
This was not just an accident — it was a catastrophe that unfolded in slow, fiery motion. Lives were lost, not in silence, but amid screams and smoke, on a road that many walk every day without a second thought.
