8 killed as van falls into gorge near Pithoragarh road in Uttarakhand's Champawat

The accident occurred when the vehicle was en route to a ghat cremation ground, police said.

ANI photo

Dehradun: At least eight people were on Sunday killed and 11 others injured after a pickup van fell into a deep gorge near Pithoragarh road in Uttarakhand's Champawat district.

Uttarakhand: 5 people died, multiple injuries reported after a pickup van fell into a deep gorge near Pithoragarh road in Champawat. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/SkSKU7mZnB

— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2019

Superintendent of Police (SP) Champawat Dhirendra Gunjyal said that the accident occurred when the vehicle was en route to a ghat cremation ground. 

He added that he was supervising the rescue operation in the area and all the injured persons have been rushed to nearby hospitals.

"We are trying to retrieve all these six bodies," Gunjyal said. 

He, however, did not rule out the possibility of more casualties saying a search was on for more bodies.

(With inputs from agencies)