- Car with Ludhiana registration plunged into a 200-foot gorge on Bharwain-Hoshiarpur Road
- Two occupants were burned alive in the accident
- Preliminary reports indicate a loud blast, possibly a tyre burst, caused the crash
Devotees travelling from Himachal Pradesh to Punjab were burnt alive after their car plunged into a 200-foot-deep gorge on Wednesday afternoon. The car with a Ludhiana registration number had two people on board at the time of the accident. The victims are yet to be identified.
The incident took place on the Bharwain-Hoshiarpur Road, a stretch known for its sharp turns. The accident location is a designated "black spot", and a section of the road was damaged, opening directly onto the deep gorge.
As seen in CCTV footage, the car was supposed to take a turn but instead it drove straight towards the edge and plunged into the gorge. Right before the turn, a fire was spotted at the rear end of the car.
Preliminary reports suggest a loud blast, possibly due to a tyre burst, was heard, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash.
By the time police and fire department personnel arrived, the vehicle was charred. The body of one of the victims was found lying outside the car, while the other was found inside.
The news agency PTI has identified the car as one Maruti Swift Dzire with the registration number PB-10-K-7531.
The police have recovered an Aadhaar card from the damaged vehicle, and found at least one address, but the victims are yet to be identified.
The passengers were reportedly returning from the Chintpurni Temple in Himachal Pradesh's Una district and were headed to Ludhiana in Punjab.
(With inputs from Anup Chand)
