5 tourists from Bengal killed in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar as vehicle falls into gorge

The accident allegedly involved three vehicles. The driver of the vehicle which was ahead of all three vehicles suddenly applied brakes at a curve on the road due to which the vehicle just behind it overturned in a bid to avoid collision. Following this, the driver of the last vehicle lost control and the car fell into a gorge.

Five tourists including three women died and around 7 others were injured after their vehicle fell into a 40-metre-deep gorge near Farsali on the Munsiyari-Kapkot road in Bageshwar district on Wednesday. They were returning to Nainital from Munsiyari area of Pithoragarh district.

A team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) retrieving bodies of five tourists from a gorge in Bageshwar district on Wednesday. (HT PHOTO.)

“Five tourists from West Bengal including three women have died near Farsali after the vehicle they were travelling in fell into a gorge. They were coming from Munsiyari and were on their way to Nainital,” said Amit Srivastava, superintendent of police, Bageshwar district.

Srivastava said the incident took place at about 2 pm on Wednesday at a curve in Farsali area, about 45 km from Bageshwar district headquarters. The tourists from West Bengal were on their way to Nainital, he said.

The accident allegedly involved three vehicles. He said the driver of the vehicle which was ahead of all three vehicles suddenly applied brakes at a curve on the road, due to which the vehicle just behind it overturned on the road in a bid to avoid collision. Following this, the driver of the last vehicle lost control and the car fell into a gorge after hitting the overturned tempo, he said. The five deceased were in the last vehicle, he added.

Srivastava said the injured have been rushed to a nearby hospital.

A team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) retrieved the bodies from the gorge and handed them over to the local police.