A tragic accident in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district claimed the lives of three women on Thursday morning when a pickup truck carrying gravel and MGNREGA workers plunged into a ditch. The accident occurred in the Pooh block after the driver lost control of the vehicle, resulting in the deaths and serious injuries to several others.
The deceased have been identified as Indramani (35), who died on the spot, and Sarita Negi (38) and Chhwang Jagmo (40), who succumbed to their injuries at the Community Health Center (CHC) in Pooh. The injured include the driver, Deepak (40), a Nepali National, and three women—Shanti Devi (35), Surendra Negi (32), and Sanam (40)—all residents of Pooh. They were initially treated at CHC Pooh before being transferred to the Regional Hospital in Reckong Peo due to the severity of their injuries.
Given their critical condition, the injured were further referred to IGMC Shimla. An ambulance transported them to Karcham, from where they were airlifted by helicopter to Shimla for advanced medical care.
According to SP Kinnaur, the cause of the accident is being investigated. The police report indicated that the pickup truck was on its way to Gandhi Mohalla Stadium from Zero Point, carrying gravel and six women workers, in addition to the driver. The accident happened around 8 a.m. when the vehicle fell off the second turn on the stadium road, overturning and plunging into a ditch.
ADM Pooh, Vinay Modi, announced that a relief amount of Rs 25,000 has been provided to the families of each of the deceased, and Rs 5,000 has been given to each of the injured. The district administration is providing further assistance to the affected families.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed sorrow over the incident, extending his condolences to the families of the deceased. He directed the district administration to ensure that immediate financial aid is given to the next of kin and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
