8 persons feared dead as vehicle falls into river in HP

Eight persons were feared dead as the vehicle they were travelling in skidded off a road and plunged into Chandrabhaga river in Pangi tribal area of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh today, police said.
The incident occurred this afternoon when the eight residents of Sechu were returning home from Mindhal after attending a religious ceremony, they said.
The vehicle fell in the river at Cherry, about 12 Km from Killar, sub-divisional headquarters of the Pangi tribal valley, they said.
Inder Singh Bhardwaj, Resident Commissioner of Pangi, along with officials of the local administration rushed to the spot on receiving information about the incident.

Intensive search operations were on even as the possibility of survival of missing persons was very remote, an official said.
Meanwhile, the local administration has announced immediate relief of Rs 10,000 to the victims.