Five die after car carrying family and infant plunges into gorge in Chamba
Five people, including four members of a family and a three-month-old child, were killed after their vehicle fell into a gorge on the Bharmaur-Pathankot state
Five people, including four members of a family and a three-month-old child, were killed after their vehicle fell into a gorge on the Bharmaur-Pathankot state highway in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district, police said on Tuesday. The accident took place late on Monday night when the family was taking the infant to Pathankot for treatment. Police said the cause of the accident has not yet been established, though preliminary reports suggest the car plunged into the 400-metre-deep gorge after the driver lost control.
Read Full Story The dead were identified as the ailing child, the grandfather Vachan Singh, 60, and the parents Ripun Singh, 30, and Rimpi Devi. The fifth victim was Kirti, 23. All of them were residents of Gehra village in Chamba district, officials said. Police and rescue teams rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident. The rescue operation was difficult because of the remote terrain and the accident taking place at night.
Local residents also assisted the police and rescue teams. "The bodies have been extracted and sent to Dalhousie hospital for postmortem. An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident," Chamba Superintendent of Police Vijay Saklani said. Police have appealed to people to drive with extreme caution on hilly roads, especially at night and during bad weather. In a statement, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed grief over the deaths and directed the district administration to provide all possible assistance to the bereaved family members.
The accident claimed five lives, including an infant and three close family members, and an inquiry is now underway into what caused the vehicle to fall into the gorge. Ends
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