Three killed after truck falls into gorge from Pauri-Devprayag highway

Dehradun

: Three people, all in their early twenties, were killed after the truck they were traveling in fell into a 100-metre-deep gorge from the Pauri-Devprayag highway early on Tuesday.

The truck, with three people on-board, was on its way to Pauri when the accident took place about 500 metres ahead of Devprayag, police said.

Upon receiving information about the accident, a team of state disaster response force (SDRF) -- led by constable Shekhar Chandra Joshi -- rushed to the spot and launched a search and rescue operation.

“All three victims died on the spot. Body of one person was recovered immediately but bodies of the other two victims were retrieved after a difficult operation that lasted a couple of hours,” Lalita Negi, SDRF spokesperson said.

The victims have been identified as 22-year-old Sachin Thapliyal, 22-year-old Shubham Kothiyal, and 20-year-old Nitin Negi -- all residents of Pauri Garhwal.