At least six people - five teachers and a Maxi cabbie - died while six other teachers were injured when the jeep they were travelling in met with an accident on lasi Motor Road in Chamoli district on Thursday. The teachers were reportedly travelling to Chamoli Bazaar from lasi when the accident occurred on the stretch of the lasi-Majothi Motor Road between Anagoli and Rangatoli.
According to sources, the jeep was being driven by Majothi village resident Rakesh lal when he lost control over and the vehicle tumbled about 50 metres down the road to land at the third bend of the road. Most of the passengers were flung out of the tumbling jeep or smashed against hard surfaces which resulted in on-the-spot death of the driver and five teachers.
The five teachers, who died, have been identified as lasi resident Chandrakanta Kunwar, Chamoli resident Bindu Sindhwal, Patelthi village resident Anita Paletha, Chinka village resident Anusuya Singh Aswal and Gopeshwar resident Meena Kanyal.
The injured have been identified as Durgapur resident Gopal Saksena, lyasi resident Vimla Kunwar, Kshetrapal village resident Rajni Aswal, Bantoli village resident Vijaya Rawat, Majothi village residents Mukesh Singh, Sonu Singh and Ranjana.
The injured were first admitted to the district hospital at Gopeshwar from where they were referred and transported to higher centre in Dehradun by helicopter.
The State Government has ordered a probe into the mishap.
The death and injury caused in the mishap has spread a pall of gloom in the villages and Chamoli Bazaar area where most of the teachers were familiar faces.
Observers point out that the spate of motor accidents causing a considerable number of deaths and injuries in the recent past has raised concern regarding the damaged condition of mountain roads and the danger involved in the locals using unsafe and overloaded public transport vehicles.