Six including five tourists from Gujarat dead in Chamba after car falls into gorge; four injured

The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, but the injured persons said the driver lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a sharp curve, according to officials.

Six people, including five tourists from Gujarat, were killed while four others sustained serious injuries as the car they were travelling in plunged into a deep gorge at Chamba district's Kakira in the early hours of Monday, police said. Expressing grief over the incident, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed the district administration to provide all possible assistance to the affected families and ensure the best possible treatment to the injured, a statement issued here said. The Toyota Innova vehicle, overloaded with 10 people onboard, was on its way from Manali to Dalhousie when the incident occurred on the Lahru-Tunnuhatti road. The impact of the fall was so intense that parts of the vehicles were scattered all around, police said, adding that they and the rescue teams had difficulty in evacuating the injured persons -- who were referred to the zonal hospital. The deceased individuals have been identified as Lalit Bhai Phatnani, his wife Mamta, Priyank Kanhaiya Lal, his wife Kajal and son Diyansh, all residents of Gujarat, and driver Jaswant, a resident of Jogindernagar subdivision in Mandi. The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, but the injured persons said the driver lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a sharp curve, according to officials. The injured have been admitted to Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda in Kangra district, police said. A case has been registered and further investigations to ascertain the cause that led to the accident are underway, they added.