CHAMBA: Six members of a family were killed along with a driver when a Bolero jeep plunged nearly 500 metres into a deep gorge near Chhatrund on the Masrund-Hamal road in Chamba district late Wednesday night.
The victims, belonging to Mahal village in the Chhatrund area, were returning home after attending a family function at a relative's house when the accident occurred.
Three brothers and their family members were among those killed. The driver, who was from another village, also lost his life in the crash.
According to reports, the vehicle went out of control and rolled down the steep mountainside, killing all seven occupants on the spot.
Rescue teams, police personnel and local residents rushed to the site and carried out a difficult operation to retrieve the bodies from the deep gorge.
The accident has plunged Mahal village into mourning, with several households devastated by the loss of multiple family members in a single tragedy.
Police have registered a case and initiated investigations into the cause of the accident. The district administration is providing relief and assistance to the bereaved families.
Expressing profound grief over the loss of lives, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state government stood firmly with the affected families in their hour of grief. He directed the district administration to provide all possible assistance and prayed for peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear the irreparable loss.
