A pickup vehicle plunged into a deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district on Wednesday, killing four people and leaving nine others injured in one of the more harrowing road accidents reported from the hill state in recent weeks. The mishap occurred near Galogi in the Renuka assembly constituency as the vehicle was travelling from Sangrah towards Arlu.
Vehicle went out of control near Galogi
According to details that emerged, the pickup was on its way from Sangrah to Arlu when the driver lost control of the vehicle near Galogi. The vehicle skidded off the road and plummeted straight into a deep gorge. The impact was severe enough that everyone travelling in it suffered serious injuries. As word of the accident spread, residents from nearby villages rushed to the spot and immediately began relief and rescue work. It was local villagers who first pulled the injured out of the gorge and helped get them to hospital. Given the seriousness of their condition, all nine injured were referred to Medical College Nahan for treatment, and some of them are said to be in critical condition. Panic and chaos gripped the area in the immediate aftermath of the crash as people rushed to help one another.
Passengers were returning after a relative's postmortem
What makes the accident even more tragic is that the people travelling in the vehicle were already coping with a loss. They were returning to their village from hospital after getting the postmortem of a deceased person completed. The deceased had died of a heart attack. Once the postmortem formalities were completed, the family and others set out on their journey back home, and it was near Galogi that this second tragedy struck, compounding the grief the group was already carrying.
Police probe underway into the cause
Police teams reached the accident site as soon as they were alerted and began their investigation. Preliminary findings indicate that the vehicle went out of control and fell straight into the gorge, though the exact cause will only be established once the investigation is complete. Sirmaur Superintendent of Police Nishchint Singh Negi confirmed the accident and said police are examining every aspect of the case. Officers at the scene are collecting evidence and recording statements from witnesses. The families of the four people who lost their lives in the accident are being informed as the process moves forward.
