Four killed, 7 injured as boulder falls on vehicle in HP

Kullu, July 24 (UNI) A child and a woman were among four tourists killed and seven injured, several of them seriously, after a huge boulder fell on their vehicle in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh today, ASP Hardesh Bisht said.

While three people were killed on the spot, the driver of the vehicle succumbed to his injuries at a hospital after the boulder fell on their Tata Sumo, which was pushed into a gorge, near Mardi, about 70 km from here, he told UNI here.

Mr Bisht said the incident occurred at about 1415 hrs, while the vehicle with 11 people, on board, was on its way to Rohtang Pass from Manali.

All the seven injured in the accident have been admitted to a mission hospital at Manali, where the doctors described the condition of several of them serious.

The ASP said the police personnel assisted by local people retrieved the injured and the bodies of the dead from the mangled vehicle after great effort.

He said the dead and the injured were yet to be identified.

Manali SDM Vinay Singh Thakur has announced an immediate relief of Rs 5,000 each to the injured, while cash relief to the next of the kin of the dead would be announced after establishing their identities.

UNI