Monday, 13 June 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
Four persons died when the vehicle they were travelling in fell into a 100 metre deep gorge near Pamtodi in Pithoragarh district on Sunday. Three persons died on the spot while the fourth died while undergoing treatment in a hospital. All the persons were from the same family.
Retired teacher Chandan Singh Baseda lives with his family in Haldwani. On Sunday he was driving a car and going along with five of his family members towards Bageshwar to drop a relative after attending a ritual worship in his village. According to sources, at about 1 PM on Sunday, he lost control of the car which fell off the road and down the mountainside into a 100 metre deep gorge near Pamtodi about nine kilometres from Thal. His wife Tulsi Baseda (53), sister in-law Asha Baseda (50) and relative Tara Devi (50) died on the spot. His 90 year old mother Devki Devi died while undergoing treatment for her injuries in the hospital. Baseda (61) who was driving the car and his younger brother Govind Singh Baseda (57) were injured in the mishap. According to local sources, Chandan Singh Baseda was thrown out of the car when it was tumbling down the mountainside. In an injured state, he somehow managed to reach the road and informed two youths on a motorcycle about the accident. The police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel reached the site and rescued the injured persons. The three injured were taken by a private vehicle to the primary health centre in Gauchar where the 90-year old mother of Baseda died while the two injured brothers were referred to the district hospital after primary treatment.
It is pertinent to mention here that there have been at least half a dozen major road accidents in various parts of the State since May. On June 9, five persons died and three were injured in a road accident on the Ghansali-Ghuttu motor road in Tehri district when the driver of a utility vehicle with a total of eight persons lost control of the vehicle near Pokhar village, causing it to fall off the road and down the mountainside. Earlier, on June 5, 26 persons died and four were seriously injured when a bus carrying pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh fell into a gorge near Damta in Uttarkashi district en route to Yamunotri. A day later, on June 6 three persons died and six were seriously injured when the jeep they were travelling in fell into a gorge at Chamitok in Champawat district.
