WorldNEW DELHI, AFP -At least seven people have been killed and eight more injured after a truck rammed into a crowd near a busy Hindu temple in central India, police said Monday. Hundreds of worshippers had gathered at the Banjari temple in Madhya Pradesh state to celebrate the ongoing Durga Puja festival, when the truck driver apparently lost control of his vehicle and ploughed into the crowd. Singh said the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled after the accident, while his assistant was caught by the crowd and handed over to police. Hindu temples across India are packed with huge crowds of devotees as the country comes to the end of the annual Durga Puja festival. Durga is famed in Hindu mythology for riding a lion and slaying the demon king Mashiasura who had conquered the heavens.

Source: Sunday Times October 10, 2016 14:03 UTC