5 killed in Teesta car crash

RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Jai Bahadur Rai at the Kalimpong subdivisional hospital on Monday. (Chinlop Fudong Lepcha) Kalimpong, April 16: Five persons were killed and five others injured when the car they were travelling in fell into the Teesta near Chitre this afternoon. Police said the SUV that was on its way to Gangtok from Darjeeling skidded off NH31A and fell into the river about 250 feet below around 4pm. The accident spot between Chitre and Laborbote is 14km from here. The deceased are Uday Pradhan and his wife Sunita, residents of Haridashatta in Darjeeling, Prabhat Tamang of Jalapahar in Darjeeling, Manisha Rai of 5th Mile in Sikkim and Manju Sharma of Rangpo. The injured persons, Anushka Gurung of Jaldhaka, Jai Bahadur Rai of Mungsong, Rebecca Rai of Melli and Syanli Rai from Rangpo have been admitted to the Kalimpong subdivisional hospital. “Sonam Yangchen Bhutia, the driver of the vehicle, is undergoing treatment at the primary health centre in Melli. He lost control of the vehicle and it swerved off the highway,” said a source. He added that the car was a share taxi. Rafters from Melli had been despatched to the accident spot 4km away. “We managed to rescue five persons who were seated in the rear seat of the jeep. We were also able to retrieve the bodies of the five persons who perished in the mishap. Half of the jeep was immersed in the river while the other half was on the riverbank when we reached the spot,” said Roshan Bhujel, the vice-president of the Teesta-Rangeet Raft Owners’ Association.(TT)