Five died as vehicle plunges into gorge in Himachal's Chamba

 

Five people died, after a vehicle in which they were travelling fell into a gorge on the Bharmaur-Pathankot state highway in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district, police said on Tuesday, July 28. Four of the five deceased were the members of the same family. 

The accident happened late at night on Monday, July 27, when the family was taking their three-month-old child for treatment to Pathankot.

The victims included the ailing child, the grandfather, Vachan Singh (60), and the parents Ripun Singh (30) and Rimpi Devi and the fifth victim was identified as Kirti (23), her relationship was unknown. All were the residents of Gehra village in Chamba, officials stated. 

"The bodies have been extracted and sent to Dalhousie hospital for postmortem. An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident," Superintendent of Police, Chamba, Vijay Saklani said.

According to police, the cause of the accident has not yet been ascertained. Preliminary reports suggest the car plunged into the 400-metre-deep gorge after the driver lost control.

Upon receiving news of the incident, the police and the rescue teams immediately rushed to the scene. Rescuers faced significant challenges due to the remote terrain and the time of the accident. Other residents of the area also assisted the police and rescue teams in the operation.

Police have appealed to the public to drive with extreme caution on hilly roads, especially at night and during rainy weather.

In a statement issued, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the death of five persons in a road accident and directed the district administration to provide all possible assistance to the bereaved family members.

(With inputs from PTI