10 people killed as car falls into gorge in Uttarakhand

Pithoragarh, June 22

Ten people on their way to a temple were killed after their car fell into a 600-metre deep gorge in Munsiyari on Thursday, an official said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, in a tweet, expressed grief at the loss of lives in the mishap.

There were 10 people, including the driver, in the Bolero and there are no survivors. All the bodies have been retrieved, Pithoragarh District Disaster Management Officer Bhupendra Singh Mahar said.

The victims included a couple — Nisha Singh (24) and Ummed Singh (28). The others were identified as Kishan Singh (65), Dharma Singh (69), Kundan Singh (58), Shankar Singh (40), Sundar Singh (37), Khushal Singh (64), Dan Singh and the driver of the vehicle — Mahesh Singh (40).

Seven of the victims were from Sama village and three from Bhanar village of Kapkot sub division of Bageshwar district, Mahar said.

The pilgrims were on their way to Kokila Devi temple in Hokra, Didihat SDM Anil Kumar Shukla said. The accident occurred around 7.30 am, he said.

Some local residents saw the car falling into the gorge and said heavy rain on Wednesday night led to debris falling down and eating into the road space.

“Heavy rain last night resulted in the accumulation of debris and shrinking of road space. This might have led to the accident,” said Sundar Singh, a resident of Hokra Village.