4 killed, 6 injured as car falls into gorge in Champawat

Four people were killed and six others injured today when their car fell into a deep gorge in Uttarakhand's Champawat district, police said.

The car carrying nine people apart from the driver met with the accident at Dhon about 12 kms away from the district headquarters, Champawat SP Dhirendra Gunjyal told PTI on the phone.

Four people died on the spot while six others who sustained injuries were rushed to Champawat district Hospital, where their condition is stated to be critical, the SP said.

They have been referred to Sushila Tiwari Hospital in Haldwani, he said.

The injured also include two army men who are under treatment at the district hospital Champawat, the official said.

The car was on its way to Pithoragarh from Khatima when the accident occurred, he said.

The driver of the car jumped out of it as it began rolling down the gorge. He is also among the injured, the SP said.

Though the exact cause of the accident has not been ascertained, prima facie it appears to have been caused partially by the driver's carelessness.

"The road in the area is wide enough and the accident would not have occurred if the driver was more careful," the SP said.

Another factor maybe the wet weather because of which all the rubble deposited on the road has converted into muck and made it slippery, the official said.

Muck disposal by the highway authorities on the route has been slow despite repeated reminders, he said.