A devastating accident claimed the lives of six people, including five members of a family, when their car plummeted 500 meters into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district on Thursday night. The tragedy occurred near Chanvas in the Tissa subdivision, as the family was returning home from Banikhet, police reported.

Preliminary investigations indicate that a falling rock struck the vehicle, causing it to veer off the road and plunge into the gorge, just a kilometer from their home. The victims included Rajesh, a government school teacher, his wife Hanso (36), their children Deepak (15) and Aarti (17), brother-in-law Hemraj, and an unidentified person who had been offered a ride.

Villagers, alerted by screams, rushed to the scene, notified police, and initiated rescue efforts. The accident, which occurred around 9:30 pm, required nearly six hours to recover the bodies due to the challenging terrain. Police have registered a case and are conducting further investigations to determine the exact circumstances of the crash.

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The incident has left the local community in mourning, with authorities urging drivers to exercise caution on the region’s treacherous mountain roads.

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