Uttarakhand: 15 killed, seven injured as vehicle falls into gorge

Dehradun: Fifteen persons were killed and seven seriously injured when the vehicle they were travelling in fell into a deep gorge in Pithoragarh district early Wednesday.

The mishap occurred at Tauldhar, about 6 km from Dharchula near India-Nepal border in the district at 7.30 AM, killing 15 persons on the spot and leaving seven others injured, Dharchula SDM Pramod Kumar said. All the bodies have been recovered and the injured have been admitted to a community health centre at Dharchula, he said. The vehicle carrying milk and vegetable vendors from Ranthi to Dharchula fell into the gorge when the driver lost control near a sharp bend, he said. The reasons behind the accident is being ascertained but apparently it was caused due to overloading, he said.