3 friends die as car falls into gorge in Pithoragarh

Pithoragarh: Three friends died and another was critically injured after their car fell into a 50m-deep gorge on the Pithoragarh-Munsyari road at Madkot on Sunday afternoon.Laxman Negi (30), a resident of Madkot; Ankit Pande (30), of village Daula (Pithoragarh); Ayush Pant (31), of Pithoragarh; and Devendra Bhatt (27), of Pithoragarh were on their way to Munsyari when the accident happened.Villagers informed the police about the accident, said Pithoragarh district disaster mitigation officer Bhupendra Singh Mahar. Police, SDRF and Emergency Ambulance Service 108 soon reached the spot and started a rescue operation. Laxman Negi and Ankit Pande died on the spot and their bodies were recovered, said Mahar. Ayush Pant and Devendra Bhatt were admitted to a Pithoragarh hospital where the doctor on duty declared Pant dead. Bhatt's condition is critical.Laxman Negi was a soldier and had come home on leave, while Ayush Pant was an advocate. Amit Pande was an engineer at a private company and was working from home in Pithoragarh.