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Srinagar-Leh NH: Cab falls into gorge near Zoji La pass, 4 tourists die
Police said a Tata Sumo passenger vehicle that was on its way from Kargil to Srinagar met in an accident at Yadav Modh near Zojilla Pass, the passenger vehicle fell in a deep gorge leaving four tourists dead
Srinagar Four tourists were killed in a road accident on Srinagar-Leh National Highway at Zojila Pass on Tuesday afternoon.
Police said a Tata Sumo passenger vehicle that was on its way from Kargil to Srinagar met in an accident at Yadav Modh near Zojilla Pass, the passenger vehicle fell in a deep gorge leaving four tourists dead. Two injured tourists were shifted to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science Hospital in Srinagar.
SSP rural traffic R P Singh said so far they have recovered four dead bodies from the accident site and two injured persons were also taken to the hospital. “This was a tourist vehicle coming from Kargil to Srinagar when it met an accident near Yadav Morh on the Zojilla axis. The rescue operation is being carried out by police teams from Ganderbal and traffic officers,” he said, adding that the vehicle skidded off into a deep gorge. “The rescue operation will continue till we are satisfied nobody is left in the deep gorge.”
Officials said initial reports suggest tourists are from Kerala and the cause of accident is believed to be slippery road conditions and rash driving. Police registered a case and started an investigation. The identity of the victims is yet to be ascertained.
5 killed, 4 injured in two accidents in Himachal’s Mandi, Sirmaur
Five people were killed in two accidents in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi and Sirmaur districts on Monday evening, police said on Tuesday.
Madan Lal, 60, his wife Jayanti Devi, 60, and Bhim Singh died, while two others were injured when their car rolled down a gorge at Magru Gala in Seraj area of Mandi district when they were returning from a wedding. The injured were rushed to the nearest hospital at Janjehli.
The police said rain hindered rescue and the bodies of the accident victims were retrieved with the help of local residents late into the night.
Officiating sub divisional magistrate Thunag Amit Kalthaik said ₹25,000 each has been disbursed as immediate relief to the families of the deceased and ₹5,000 each to the injured. Additional superintendent of police Sagar Chandra said a case was registered and the reason for the accident was being investigated.
In another accident, two people died when a truck fell into a gorge near Kalath on the Dadahu-Sangrah road in Sirmaur district on Monday evening. The truck was on its way from Sangrah towards Rajhana when it rolled down a 300-ft gorge near Kalath. Kuldeep, 32, of Ganog and Jagdish, 45 of Ghato died on the spot. Two others were seriously injured in the accident.
