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15 die in road accident in Lahual
As many as 15 members of a dance troupe from Leh were killed when a bus carrying them fell into gorge near Kalong village - 20 kilometers ahead of district headquarter Keylong. Gaurav Bisht reports.
As many as 15 members of a dance troupe from Leh were killed when a bus carrying them fell into gorge near Kalong village - 20 kilometers ahead of district headquarter Keylong.
The accident occurred late on Saturday night, when the driver, amidst heavy torrential rain lost control of vehicle which rolled down the gorge after colliding with a boulder on the roadside.
However, rescue operations could only start in the wee morning hours after two survivors, against all odds, reached the road and informed the Border Road Organization about the accident.
“It was about 4 am in the morning that we received information about the road accident” personnel at Police station Keylong told Hindustan Times. The cultural troupe was on its way to Keylong to participate in two day cultural fair held annually to mark India’s independence.
The district administration officials said that majority of the people killed hailed from Theksey village in Leh and its surroundings. Amongst the deceased are seven women and eight men. The injured were shifted to the civil hospital in Keylong.
Meanwhile the traffic on Rohtang pass connecting Lahual and Spiti remained suspended for the second day on Sunday owing to repeated landslides in Rani Nullah. “ We have stopped traffic in the wake of dangers of landslide in the area” deputy commissioner Kullu, B M Nanta said.
This is the second major accident within last two days. Earleir, a bus fell into a deep gorge in Tissa area of Chamba, killing at least 15 people.
