Himachal Road Accident Claims Two Lives, Injures 17 near Shillai

Himachal Road Accident Claims Two Lives, Injures 17 near Shillai

A tragic accident in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district on Tuesday morning left two people dead and 17 others injured when a pickup truck veered off the road and plunged down a slope.

The Incident:

The accident occurred around 9:00 AM on the Shillai-Bashwa road. The overloaded pickup truck, carrying 19 passengers, was reportedly descending towards Bashwa village when it met its fate near the village.

Casualties and Injuries:

The ill-fated vehicle skidded off the road and tumbled down the mountainside, resulting in the instant deaths of two passengers: Karishma (19) from Handadi village and Mohan Singh (62) from Bashwa village.

The remaining 17 passengers sustained injuries of varying degrees. Some with critical injuries were airlifted to the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) Hospital in Shimla, while others received treatment at the Shillai hospital.

Cause Under Investigation:

The cause of the accident remains under investigation. While weather conditions and the steep terrain could be contributing factors, overloading the vehicle with nearly double the recommended capacity likely played a significant role in the tragedy.

Himachal’s Winter Woes:

Sirmaur, like many other districts in Himachal Pradesh, experiences an increase in road accidents during winters. Fog, icy roads, and treacherous mountain passes often present a dangerous combination for drivers, particularly those unfamiliar with the terrain.