3 killed, one missing in mishaps

As many as three people lost their lives and one went missing in separate incidents in Chamba.

On Friday, a car carrying five devotees from Punjab skidded off the road and plunged into the Ravi River at Durgethi on the Chamba-Bharmour national highway while they were returning from the Manimahesh Yatra. Two devotees were killed and one was still missing. Local shopkeepers and volunteers launched a rescue operation, pulling out two survivors who are undergoing treatment at Chamba Medical College with improving conditions.

The police and fire services joined the search operation, recovering two bodies and continuing to search for the missing person.

In a separate incident on Thursday night, Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Badbehi village, died when his car veered off the road near Bhatolua temple and plunged into a deep gorge on the Chamba-Jot road. Locals discovered the wreckage the next morning, and Rakesh’s body was retrieved and handed over to his family after a post-mortem.

He is survived by a wife and two young sons. Superintendent of Police Chamba, Abhishek Yadav, confirmed both accidents, and investigations are underway.