4 tourists die as car falls into gorge near Mussoorie

DEHRADUN: Four tourists, including a government school teacher and a 19-year-old student from Haryana, were killed after their car plunged nearly 500m into a gorge on the Jharipani-Kolukhet road near Mussoorie on Wednesday morning. The accident happened around 9:15 am near Barlowganj on the outskirts of the hill station when the hatchback they were travelling in allegedly suffered brake failure on a steep downhill stretch, causing the driver to lose control, police said.The victims were identified as Satyaprakash, 41, a government school teacher, and Manit, a student, both from Sonipat in Haryana; Savita, 48, a homemaker from Nehru Nagar in Ghaziabad; and Sangeeta, 46, a homemaker from Delhi’s Karol Bagh. The group was returning from Uttarkashi after a trip to the hills when the accident happened.According to locals, the occupants had stopped at a roadside shop shortly before the crash. Moments after resuming their journey, the vehicle began rolling downhill uncontrollably before veering off the road and plunging into the gorge.Deputy superintendent of police and circle officer (Mussoorie) Ankit Kandari said, “Information about the accident was received through the Dehradun district control room, following which teams from the Mussoorie police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), fire services and the 108 ambulance service rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.”The steep terrain and depth of the gorge posed challenges for rescuers, who used ropes and specialised equipment to reach the wreckage. Senior police officers monitored the operation and directed emergency teams during the recovery effort.All four occupants were found dead and their bodies were sent for postmortem.Police said the victims’ families have been informed, and a detailed investigation has been initiated to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.