A tourist was killed and three others injured after the four-wheeler they were traveling in fell off the road and crashed near the northern gate of the Atal Tunnel, police said on Wednesday.
The tourists were traveling from Manali to Lahaul on Tuesday evening when the accident occurred, news agency PTI reported. The deceased tourist has been identified as 34-year-old Kailash from Sikar in Rajasthan.
The injured are identified as Rajendra and driver Siddharth – both from Sikar – and Aditya from Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh. Subsequently, the car, a black Scorpio, was seen stuck between the tracks after it fell off the road.
The driver misjudged the turn, and the car fell onto the road
At around 10 pm, the car, shortly after leaving the northern gate of the Atal Tunnel, veered off the road and fell towards the Chandra river. This was due to alleged excessive speed and the driver’s failure to negotiate the turn.
After exiting the North Gate, the road takes a sharp turn to the right, and the Chandra River is right in front of you. In the dark, the driver may not have measured this and continued driving straight onto the road, causing the car to fall off the road into the river.
After falling, the car collided with a bridge under construction over the river, according to the agency’s report.
The three injured people are undergoing treatment. The body of the deceased has also been taken into custody and the family members have been informed, Sisu station house officer Mukesh Rathore told PTI. The body will be handed over to its relatives after the autopsy.
Following the accident, police warned tourists against traveling at night and excessive speed in the hills, as the roads are slippery during monsoons and visibility is affected.
Heavy to very heavy rain is expected, resulting in at least 4 deaths in rain-related accidents
Several parts of Himachal Pradesh witnessed incessant heavy rains on Thursday, even as the India Meteorological Department issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places over the next few days. Four people were killed in rain-related accidents in the state, with heavy rains in Shimla, Manali and Dharamshala leading to roads being closed due to landslides.
A resident of Nalagarh in Solan district, Sukhbir Kaur, 38, was traveling to Manikaran with her family when a rock fell on them, news agency PTI reported. Kaur had got out of the car on the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway near Aut when the accident occurred.
Three deaths were also reported in Kangra district, and the causes included electrocution and falls from a height. The villages of the Chamba region witnessed a flood-like situation, as falling debris entered from the mountain and caused damage to homes.
(With inputs from PTI)
