Five die after pickup truck falls into gorge in Kotkhai

Five persons, including four Nepalese nationals, were killed after a pickup vehicle plunged into a deep gorge in Kotkhai tehsil of Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district on Sunday.

The deceased have been identified as Joginder Singh, a resident of Khola village in Kotkhai and Nepalese nationals Rajesh Visht, Laxmi, Ekender Shahi and Dil Bahadur. Two others — Sajan and Nev Bahadur — sustained injuries in the accident.

According to initial reports, the vehicle was being driven by Joginder Singh and met with the accident at Dholo Kainchi, near Ramnagar village, after he reportedly lost control. The vehicle veered off the road and fell into a steep gorge, killing three persons on the spot.

A police team from Kotkhai reached the site soon after receiving the alert and launched a rescue operation. With the assistance of local residents, they evacuated the injured and recovered the bodies of the deceased. The injured were rushed to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Kotkhai.

Laxmi later succumbed to her injuries at the health centre. Dil Bahadur, who had been referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla for advanced treatment, also died during the course of medical care. The remaining two injured were discharged after receiving treatment at the CHC.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Theog, Siddharth Sharma, confirmed the incident and said an investigation was underway to determine the exact cause of the crash.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and Education Minister Rohit Thakur — who also represents the Jubbal-Nawar-Kotkhai constituency — expressed grief over the tragedy.

The Chief Minister said the state government stands with the bereaved families and assured all possible assistance would be provided. He also wished a speedy recovery to the injured. The Deputy Chief Minister and the Education Minister echoed similar sentiments and offered prayers for the departed souls and quick recovery of the survivors.