In a tragic road accident, nine persons lost their lives in Champawat district on Wednesday. The jeep in which the passengers from Pithoragarh were travelling fell into a deep gorge killing all on the spot. The accident took place at Sawala, 15 km from district headquarters.
The devastating accident caused shockwaves in the hill state. The local administration launched search and rescue operations and recovered nine dead bodies from the spot. The damaged parts of the jeep was scattered all over. Kumaon Commissioner Chandershekhar Bhatt said, “Most passengers were from Pithoragarh. We have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.”
Four dead were identified as driver Navi, Gaurav Pandey from Haldwani, Kishore Pandey and Jagdish Pandey. The identification of the others was going on till filing of this report. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has expressed grief over the accident and instructed the Champawat district administration to provide ex-gratia amount to affected family.
Road accidents take place at regular interval in the hill state. Overloading, speeding, poor maintenance of vehicles, drunken driving and poor road conditions are considered the main reasons for the mishaps.