4 of a family among 6 killed in Himachal as car plunges into gorge

Six people, including four members of a family, were killed as their car fell into a gorge after being hit by a boulder on the Bhanjraru–Shahwa–Bhadkwas road in Chamba district on Thursday night, the police said.

The police said that a massive rock suddenly fell onto the vehicle around 9.30 pm, causing it to veer off the road and roll down nearly 500 metres into the gorge. The victims were identified as Rajesh Kumar, 40, a government school teacher, his wife Hanso Devi, 36, and two children — Aarti, 17, and Deepak, 15. Two other victims were identified as Rakesh Kumar, 44, and Hem Pal, 37, the police said.

Hem Pal was with the Indian Army and had come on leave a fortnight ago, and all victims hailed from Bulwas village in Chamba, the police said.

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Hearing the cries for help, villagers rushed to the spot and immediately informed the police and fire department. Upon receiving the alert, teams from both departments reached the scene and, with the help of villagers, retrieved all six bodies from the deep gorge and brought them up to the roadside.

Abhishek Yadav, Superintendent of Police, Chamba, said the bodies would be handed over to the families after post-mortem.