New Tehri, Apr 23 (PTI) Eight people died and two others injured when a utility pickup vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a 300-metre deep gorge near Chamba in Tehri district on Thursday, officials said.
The accident occurred around 2.15 pm near Nail village on the Chamba-Koti Colony road.
The victims, all of them from Thyoldhar village in the Ghansali, were returning home from a funeral, when the driver lost control of the vehicle, Tehri District Magistrate Nitika Khandelwal said.
There were around 10 people onboard at the time of the accident.
The accident was reported to the police via the Dial 112 emergency service, after which two ambulances and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the spot.
The police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams recovered eight bodies and took the injured to a nearby hospital.
The victims were returning home after performing the last rites of 65-year-old Sampat Lal in Haridwar.
The deceased were identified as Sampat Lal’s 36-year-old son, Prem Lal, and 35-year-old driver, Shiv Singh.
Others were Asha Lal, 40, Vijay Lal, 36, Mahavir, 60, Sehat Lal, 65, and Laxman, 33. The identity of one more victim was not confirmed.
Two injured are undergoing treatment at the Tehri District Hospital. Chief Medical Superintendent Dr Amit Rai stated their condition is out of danger.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the deaths and directed the district administration to ensure proper medical care for the injured.
“Praying to God to grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear this immense loss,” Dhami posted on X. PTI DPT AKY AKY VN VN
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