13 die as vehicle plunges into gorge

Shimla: Thirteen people were killed when a vehicle plunged into a gorge killing all thirteen passengers on the mountainous Hatkoti-Tiuni road in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district on Saturday some 130 km from the state capital.

“Ten people died on the spot while three others succumbed to injuries later.Eleven of the dead were close relatives,” said B R Sharma a senior official.

The hired tracks vehicle was on way to Hanol temple in Uttarakhand from Chirgaon in Rohru.

Police said the accident took place while giving a pass to another vehicle on the narrow winding road.

A relative of the dead arrived a short while later in another vehicle and informed the police. Local people helped retrieve the body from the gorge. Rescue work was hampered by heavy rain.

Himachal Pradesh along with much of north India is experiencing heavy rainfall since early Saturday. More heavy rainfall has been forecast on Sunday as well.