7 tourists killed as vehicle falls into gorge in Himachal’s Kullu

17 tourists from Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi were on board the Tempo Traveller when the accident occurred near Ghiyagi village in Banjar sub division of Kullu district

Seven tourists were killed and 10 injured when a Tempo Traveller fell into a gorge in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday night.

One of the injured tourists undergoing treatment at the zonal hospital in Banjar in Kullu district on Monday. Five tourists died on the spot, while two succumbed to injuries in the hospital. Ten tourists were injured in accident. (Aqil Khan/HT)

Officials said on Monday that the accident took place near Ghiyaghi village in Banjar sub division of Kullu at 8.30pm on Sunday.

Five died on spot, two succumbed in hospital

Five tourists died on the spot, while two others succumbed to injuries in hospital. The tourists were from Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

“The deceased have been identified as Saurabh, Priyanka Gupta, Kiran, a resident of Delhi, Rishab Raj, and Anshika Jain, Aditya, and Ananmaya from Uttar Pradesh,” Kullu superintendent of police Gurdev Sharma said.

Officials had earlier said three of the dead were from Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi. However, it was clarified later that they were among the injured.

The injured are Rahul Goswami, Kshitija Agarwal, Priyapal, Ishan Gupta from Haryana, driver Ajay Chauhan, Abhinav Singh, Nishtha Badoni from Uttar Pradesh, Rushav from New Delhi, Lakshaya from Rajasthan and Jai Aggarwal from Madhya Pradesh.

Banjar BJP MLA Surender Shourie streamed a video on Facebook at 12.45am on Monday, informing people about the accident that occurred in his assembly segment.

The injured were first taken to the zonal hospital in Banjar from where they were referred to the regional hospital in Kullu for treatment after being given first aid, the MLA said.

The Banjar MLA thanked the district administration and the locals for carrying out the rescue operation despite darkness.

The mangled remains of the Tempo Traveller that met with an accident at Banjar on the Aut-Luhri highway in Kullu district on Sunday night. (HT Photo)

Himachal CM, Union minister mourn deaths

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and Union minister Anurag Thakur, who hails from the state, expressed grief over the incident. “I’m deeply saddened to hear the news of the death of seven people in a road accident in Kullu. May God give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families. Wishing speedy recovery to the injured,” the chief minister said in a tweet in Hindi.

“The accident near Ghiyagi in Kullu is very sad. My condolences to the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery. May God give place to the departed souls,” Anurag Thakur, the Union minister and member of Parliament from Hamirpur, tweeted. (With PTI inputs)