14 killed, 12 injured in two Himachal road accidents
SHIMLA: As many as 14 people died in two different accidents on Sunday in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur and Shimla district.
In the first accident, a private bus on its way from Manva to Solan town carrying 20 passengers fell into a gorge near Naeneti on Solan-rajgarh road, around 25 km from Rajgarh town in Sirmaur district.
Seven people died on the spot and 12 people were injured. One three-year-old kid succumbed to injuries on his way to civil hospital in Solan. Bus driver Santosh Kumar from Waknaghat in Solan district also died in the accident. The deceased have been identified as Hairpur resident Dodu Ram, Lal Gaon resident Subash Chandra, Sanuara resident Priya,thandhar resident Kaushlaya Devi and Rajgarh resident Udai Ram Nehti.
Elderly woman Kaushlaya Devi from Thandhar village who was travelling with her grandson died after she came under the wreckage of the vehicle.
“All the injured and deceased were taken to the civil hospital in Solan and district administration has disbursed relief to the families of the injured and deceased,” deputy commissioner Lalit Jain said.
Preliminary reports of the police ascertained technical failure as reason for the accident.
As of now, it looks like to be a technical failure in the vehicle which led to mishap but investigation will further reveal the exact reason, Sirmaur superintendent of police (SP) Rohit Maalpani said.
Sub-divisional magistrate Rajgrah Naresh Verma said immediate relief of ₹15,000 to the kins of deceased and ₹10,000 were given to those critically injured. Government also gave ₹5,000 to those who sustained minor injuries.
In another accident in Shimla district, all six occupants of a car were killed on the spot when it fell into a deep gorge near Chhaila on the Theog-hatkoti road, 42 km from Shimla. The deceased included two women passengers. The mishap took place at Kholgali, 2-3km ahead of Chaila. Zen Estilo turned several times and landed 300-feet down the road.
Police reached the spot and rescue operation was carried out with the help of locals and those travelling on the Theogh-hatkoti road. The deceased, who were residents of Jalog village in Sunni tehsil, included Jai Kishan, 23, (driver of the car), his mother Meera Devi, 47, and father Kamal Chand, 55. Others who died in the accident included Kamal Chand’s younger brother Het Ram, his wife Tripta. Kamal Chand’s elder brother Laxmi Chand, 60, also died on the spot. All members of family were on their way to Kyar in Kotkhai.
The dead were brought to Shimla but so far the police has not been able to establish their identity. Driver of the vehicle lost control and as a result of which the car fell in the gorge, said Shimla superintendent of police (SP) Omapati Jamwal.