Two tourists dead, one missing after Tempo traveller falls into gorge in Nainital

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun

Two tourists died and one went missing after a Tempo traveller carrying 18 passengers plunged into a deep gorge in the Jyolikot–Aam Padav area of Nainital district late on Saturday. The vehicle, returning from Kainchi Dham and Nainital to Delhi, reportedly went out of control before tumbling down the hillside. According to the officials, 18 people were onboard, all residents of Delhi, out of which 15 were injured in the crash and were rescued by local residents, police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams. The injured were rushed to the higher centre in Haldwani for treatment, while the bodies of two deceased tourists, identified as Gaurav Bansal (26) from Badarpur, Delhi and Sonu Kumar (32) from Barhen village, were sent for post mortem examination. They informed that the incident occurred late at night and the sound of the crash alerted local residents, who immediately informed authorities. The authorities launched a joint rescue operation led by police circle officer Amit Kumar, Tallital station house officer Manoj Nainal and SDRF personnel. The team pulled the injured victims out of the gorge and arranged for ambulances to transport them to Sushila Tiwari Hospital in Haldwani. The officials stated that the police have launched an investigation into the accident and are currently searching for the missing person, who was reportedly driving the vehicle. The Nainital senior superintendent of police Manjunath TC also visited the hospital to check on the injured and assured families of all possible assistance.