Two men were burnt alive and three members of a family were injured after a newly bought car fell into a deep gorge and caught fire in Uttarakhand’s Champawat district, officials said on Saturday.
The accident took place on Friday near Bantoli in the Lohaghat area along the Tanakpur-Pithoragarh all-weather road, Lohaghat Sub-Divisional Magistrate Neetu Dangar said.
The family was returning to Pithoragarh from Haldwani after buying the new car. Baldev Kumar, 36, a resident of Kanalichhina, was travelling with his wife and two sons. The vehicle was being driven by Rajendra Kumar, 48, a resident of Didihat.
Officials said the car went out of control near Bantoli and plunged around 100 metres into a gorge. It caught fire soon after crashing.
Baldev’s wife Neetu Devi, 35, and their two sons — Advit, 8, and Aarav, 5 — were sitting in the back seat. They were thrown out of the vehicle during the crash and survived with injuries.
Baldev Kumar and Rajendra Kumar, however, got trapped inside the car after it caught fire and died on the spot.
After the accident was reported, teams from the local police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the district administration rushed to the spot and carried out rescue and relief work.
The three injured family members were given first aid and later referred to a higher medical centre for specialised treatment. Champawat District Magistrate Manish Kumar has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident.
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