Two SSB jawans killed, two injured as utility vehicle falls into gorge in Champawat

DEHRADUN: Three persons including two

Sashastra Seema Bal

(SSB) personnel were killed and two other jawans injured after a utility vehicle they were travelling in plunged into a

300-meters deep gorge

in

Pancheshwar area

of

Champawat district

, about 437 kms from here, on Sunday late night.

The two injured

SSB personnel

were referred to higher medical centre in Haldwani for treatment and are said to be out of danger now.

Giving information,

Ramchandra Rajguru

, superintendent of police (SP) Champawat, told TOI that the utility vehicle carrying five SSB personnel was on its way to Matyani village from Rausal when the mishap occurred on Sunday night. They were going there to attend Gaura Mahotsav.

“The vehicle carrying four SSB personnel skidded off the road and plunged into 300 meters deep gorge. Upon receiving information around 10:45pm, we immediately started relief rescue operation, with the help of local villagers, which lasted till 2:00am. We had recovered three dead bodies from the spot,” said SP Champawat.

The deceased SSB personnel’s have been identified as head constable

Sandeep Kumar Mishra

, 35, resident of district Riva in Madya Pradesh, and Constable Aanchal Singh, 25, who hailed from Bharatpur in Rajasthan. The driver of the ill-fated taxi, Raju Bhandari, also died in the accident.

While Constable Sumit Kumar Tiwari, 27, and Constable Balmiki Singh, 30, both residents of Bihar, sustained injuries in the accident. “After giving first aid at Lohaghat primary health centre, they were referred to higher centre at Haldwani and are out of danger,” said SP Champawat Ramchandra Rajguru.

All SSB personnel were posted at border out post at Rausal on Indo-Nepal international border.