11 killed in accident near Rohtang Pass

Manali: All 11 people, including five women and three children, travelling in a vehicle were killed when it skidded off the road and fell into a gorge near the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district, police said on Thursday.

The accident occurred near Rahni Nullah on the Manali-Leh highway, 47 km from here. The victims were on their way towards Pangi from Manali when the accident occurred.

Prima facie, poor visibility owing to rainfall was believed to be the cause of the accident, Superintendent of Police Shalini Agnihotri told IANS over telephone.

She said the accident occurred on Wednesday night but the police came to know about it only on Thursday morning.

Witnesses said the administration had a tough time in extracting the victims from the gorge. The villagers started the rescue operations before the authorities could reach the spot.

[source_without_link]IANS[/source_without_link]