A holiday trip to the hill town of Chakrata in Uttarakhand turned into tragedy after a speeding car veered off the Sahiya-Kwanu motor road and plunged hundreds of feet into a deep gorge, killing two tourists on the spot and leaving three others with serious injuries.
Car went out of control near Kaletha
According to details that emerged, the car was travelling towards Chakrata via Kwanu around 5 in the evening when the driver lost control near Kaletha village. The stretch has a sharp bend and a steep slope, and the vehicle swerved off the road before tumbling straight into the gorge running alongside it. As it fell, the car repeatedly struck rocks and the hillside, which tore the vehicle apart and sent screams echoing through the area.
Family from Bijnor was on a holiday trip
The tourists travelling in the car are said to belong to Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh. The group had set out to enjoy the scenic mountain valleys and spend some time on holiday. Passengers were reportedly chatting and laughing among themselves during the drive, with no idea that a fatal accident lay just ahead on the route.
Villagers and police launch rescue effort
The loud crash alerted people in nearby villages, who rushed to the spot soon after. Climbing down into the deep, difficult gorge was no easy task, but local residents pressed ahead with the rescue anyway. Word was quickly sent to the local administration, police and the 108 emergency ambulance service. Police teams and rescue personnel reached the site with relief equipment and, working alongside the villagers, launched a large joint rescue operation to reach the wrecked car.
Two dead at the scene, three still being treated
Rescuers worked their way down into the gorge with great effort and began pulling people out of the mangled car. Two of the tourists had suffered injuries severe enough that they could not be saved and died at the site. The remaining three, all seriously injured, were carefully extricated from the wreckage and taken to hospital, where they are currently receiving treatment.
A scenic but risky mountain route
Chakrata is a well known tourist destination in Uttarakhand, and the Sahiya-Kwanu road is a common route for visitors heading there. However, its narrow, winding stretches with steep drops make it a particularly accident-prone stretch, and this crash has once again turned attention to the caution travellers need to exercise on such hill roads.
