With three more bodies extricated from beneath the ill-fated vehicle, the total number of people killed in the Hamirpur road accident near Parnali village has risen to 10.
Earlier, there were reports that seven persons had been killed and three injured in the accident.
The accident took place when the victims, mostly labourers working on a road project, were on their way back home. The jeep they were travelling in fell into a gorge near Parnali village on Tuesday evening, superintendent of police Jagat Ram said on Wednesday.
Witnesses told the police that the vehicle was overcrowded and the driver probably lost control while negotiating a turn. They said the rescue workers had a tough time extricating the victims from the mangled vehicle.
Babu Ram was the most unfortunate man having lost his wife, Gadhki, daughter-in-law Bichi Devi and two grandsons, Suraj and Ravi, aged four and seven years, respectively, in the accident.
Others who lost their lives have been identified as Babu Ram, Kanta Devi, Puja Devi, Parma Devi, Ugma Devi and Sunita Devi.
All bodies were cremated on the bank of Bakker Khad on Wednesday afternoon. Hundreds of locals were present during the cremation. Local MLA Rajendra Rana and a team of the district administration led by the deputy commissioner and the district police chief were also present.
{{/usCountry}}All bodies were cremated on the bank of Bakker Khad on Wednesday afternoon. Hundreds of locals were present during the cremation. Local MLA Rajendra Rana and a team of the district administration led by the deputy commissioner and the district police chief were also present.
{{/usCountry}}The district police chief said the total causalities were ten and injured four. The driver of the ill-fated vehicle was shifted to the PGI, Chandigarh. He said a case had been registered.
Meanwhile, sources said the accident took place around 17.45pm, but the rescue teams arrived at the scene around 7.30pm. However, the 108 ambulance of the health department reached in time.
Locals lamented that since there was no medical officer at Uhal and Kadhyar hospitals, the injured were sent to Hamirpur for treatment. They were irked over the failure of the authorities to post adequate medical staff in both the prestigious health institutes of the district.
They praised the role of a group of serving soldiers from Mandi who took active part in extricating the bodies from the gorge.
A high-level team of the district administration consisting of deputy commissioner Ashish Singhmar, district police chief Jagat Ram and SDM, Hamirpur, Satish Sharma visited the accident site and consoled the bereaved families.
They gave cash relief of Rs 3,000 each to the kin of the deceased.
Singhmar claimed that the rescue teams had reached the spot in time and there was no question of reaching late at the spot.
He said if required, more relief would be given to the families of accident victims to rehabilitate them in a befitting manner.
Meanwhile, HP governor Urmila Singh and chief minister Virbhadra Singh have expressed grief over the accident and have directed the health authorities to provide all possible medical aid to the injured as well as fiscal assistance to the families of those killed.