Seven killed, 16 injured in road accidents in HP

Solan, Nov 12 (UNI) At least seven people were killed and 16 injured, six of them seriously, in three separate accidents in Himachal Pradesh today, police said.

Four people were killed and 17 injured, six of them seriously, after the speeding private mini bus, they were traveling in, overturned near Parwanoo's Sector six, Parwanoo's Additional Commissioner Himanshu Chaudhary told UNI here.

Mr Chaudhary said the driver of the bus failed to control the speeding bus, which overturned, killing three people on the spot and injuring seventeen others.

One person injured in the accident died on way to the hospital.

He said six of the seriously injured in the accident had been referred to PGI at Chandigarh, while the remaining were undergoing treatment at a government hospital at Parwanoo.

The bus was on its way to Parwanoo from Solan when the accident occurred.

The additional commissioner said that the district administration has announced immediate cash relief to the dead and the injured in the accident, adding that a case has been registered and investigations are on.

In another accident in the state, a driver of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) was died on the spot after the bus he was reversing fell into a gorge near Kotgarh, about 110 km from here, in Shimla district late last night.

The police said the driver had asked all the passengers to alight before reversing the vehicle, which rolled down into a gorge at about 2130 hrs, killing the driver, identified as Dhayan Singh.

Police said a case has been registered and investigations are on.

In yet another accident in the state, two people were killed and another injured after a jeep, in which they were traveling, fell into a 150-foot deep gorge near Sachuhi village of Hamirpur district today, the police said.

The three were returning from home after taking part in a marriage at Sandhol village of Mandi district when the accident occurred.

The police said the dead have been identified as Sonu, 25, of Sandhol village and Baldev, alias Babloo, of Jukhala village of Bilaspur district.

The driver of the jeep driver, identified as Vijay Kumar, was injured in the accident, the police said, adding that cause of the accident was, however, not immediately known.

The bodies of the dead were handed over to their relatives after post mortem examination and a case has been registered and investigations are on, the police added.

UNI