The death toll in Hamirpur road mishap rose to 10 today as two more bodies were recovered from the wreckages of the jeep which had fallen into a 300-feet deep gorge, police said.
Eight persons, including five women and three children, had died on the spot last night after the jeep, in which they were travelling, collied with another vehicle and rolled down into the deep gorge.
Two more bodies were recovered today taking the death toll to ten, while four persons, including the driver of the vehicle, who has been shifted to PGI Chandigarh is stated to be critical, police said.
The victims, hailing from Rajasthan were working on a road project and returning after their duty was over.
The vehicle was overloaded and it appears the driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into the gorge, resulting in death of ten persons, Superintendent of Police Jagat Ram said.
Out of ten deceased, five belonged to the family of one Babu Ram who was killed along with his wife, daughter-in-law and two grand children.
The next of kin of the deceased were given immediate relief of Rs 3,000 and the district administration decided to bear the expenditure on cremation of dead bodies as it was not possible to take badly mutilated bodies to Rajasthan.
Meanwhile, Himachal Governor Urmila Singh, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and former Chief Minister P K Dhumal and several leaders have expressed profound grief and shock over tragic death of ten labourers.
