Eight people, including seven Nepalese nationals, died when their vehicle fell into a deep gorge in Nainital district of Uttarakhand on Monday night.
Nainital Accident: Seven Nepal citizens among eight people were killed after their vehicle plunged into a 200-foot-deep gorge in Nainital district of Uttarakhand on late Monday night. According to the police, the tragic mishap occurred at around 10:30 PM last night near Betalghat area, about 60 KM from the district headquarters in Nainital.
Two Nepalese nationals sustained injuries in the accident and are undergoing treatment at a hospital, police said.
A senior official said the vehicle carrying nine Nepalese nationals, all residents of Mahendranagar in Nepal, when the accident happened . The Nepal residents, who worked as labourers in Uttarakhand, were headed home, he said.
Police have identified the deceased as Vish Ram (50), Dheeraj (45), Anant Ram Chaudhary (40), Vinod Chaudhary (38), Uday Ram Chaudhary (55), Tilak Ram Chaudhary (45) and Gopal (60). The driver, Rajendra Kumar (38), a resident of Baskot village in Betalghat, was among those killed in the accident, they said.
The two injured, also residents of Nepal, were identified as Shanti Chaudhary and Chhotu Chaudhary, both Nepalese, the police said.
“After receiving information about the accident, a State Disaster Response Team (SDRF) team rushed to the spot,” said an official.
The SDRF team along with locals and police personnel retrieved eight bodies. The injured were rushed to the hospital, he said, adding that all the Nepalese nationals aboard the vehicle were working as labourers for a local contractor and were headed home when the mishap took place.
The deceased labourers worked on a Jal Jeevan Mission project in Unchakot village of Betalghat, reports said.
“Eight people, including the driver, died on the spot and two sustained injuries after the vehicle fell into a 200-feet deep gorge on Monday night,” the official said, adding that bodies of the Nepalese citizens will be sent to their native Tanakpur in Champawat district of Nepal for last rites after completion of medico-legal formalities.
(With inputs from agencies)