Five people lost their lives, and five others were injured when an SUV returning from a wedding fell into a deep gorge in Champawat, Uttarakhand, early on Friday.
Police said the Bolero was travelling from Busail to Baltari when it slipped off the road and crashed into the khud. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital with the help of ropes because the terrain was very difficult.
Police and SDRF teams began the rescue operation immediately and recovered the bodies. SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduwanshi said pulling the victims out of the deep gorge was “extremely challenging,” but all of them were brought up after continuous efforts.
Those who died in the accident have been identified as Prakash Chand Uniyal (40) of Subhashnagar, Rudrapur; Kewal Chandra Uniyal (35); Suresh Nautiyal (32); Bhavna Chaubey (28); and her six-year-old son, Priyanshu Chaubey.
The injured include the driver, Devidutt Pandey (38) of Seraghat, Almora; Dheeraj Uniyal (12) of Rudrapur; Rajesh Joshi (14) of Bankot, Gangolihat; Chetan Chaubey (5) of Delhi; and Bhaskar Panda of Seraghat, Gangolihat. They were taken to the Lohaghat Sub-District Hospital, where two of them are reported to be in critical condition.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the incident and directed the district administration to ensure the injured receive the best medical treatment.
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