Himachal: Tourist vehicle falls into gorge; 7 dead, 10 injured
At least seven persons died and 10 others were injured on Sunday night after a tourist vehicle plummeted into a gorge in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, PTI reported. According to reports, the accident occurred at around 8:30 pm on National Highway 305 near Ghiyaghi in the Banjar subdivision. The victims reportedly hailed from various states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi, among others.
What did officials say?
According to Surender Shourie, the BJP MLA from Banjar, the injured were rushed to a Banjar hospital for preliminary treatment, and some were later shifted to the Kullu Zonal Hospital for advanced treatment. Shourie said the injured persons are currently being identified. Deputy Commissioner of Kullu District Ashutosh Garg told CNN-News18 that there were 17 persons in the tourist vehicle, including the driver.
Images from the incident shared on Twitter
Rescue operations carried out through the night
According to Kullu Superintendent of Police, Gurdev Singh, the administration carried out rescue efforts throughout the night. However, rescue teams faced difficulty in pulling out the victims from the badly damaged car. He said the majority of the injured were sent to the Kullu hospital. Officials told IANS that the cause of the road accident is yet to be ascertained.
PM Modi expresses his condolences
Following the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives and extended his condolences to the kin of the deceased. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) also tweeted that all possible help was being provided to the injured.
Tweet by Prime Minister's Office in Hindi
16 died in similar accident in Kullu two months ago
To recall, on July 4, 16 people—including school children—died in a similar accident when the bus they were traveling in fell into a gorge. Notably, this incident also took place in Kullu. The bus landed upside down due to which many passengers got trapped. PM Modi had announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 2 lakh for the deceased and Rs. 50,000 to those injured.
