Kolkata, 8 December (H.S.) : Three people were killed in a devastating road accident on the Kurseong–Sittong route after a passenger vehicle lost control and plunged several hundred feet into a gorge. The crash occurred late on Sunday night, going unnoticed in the darkness. The incident came to light only on Monday morning, triggering shock and prompting immediate rescue operations.

According to police in Kurseong, the deceased have been identified as Bigen Bhujel, Rupesh Gurung and Ramesh Gurung. Among them, Bigen Bhujel was a panchayat member from Sittong. Police said the vehicle was travelling from Kurseong towards Sittong when it veered off the road and rolled into a deep ravine. The impact of the crash was so severe that the vehicle was completely mangled, killing all three passengers on the spot.

Surprisingly, the driver survived the accident. A local resident spotted the wrecked vehicle in the gorge early Monday morning and immediately informed the police. A rescue team rushed to the spot and managed to pull out the driver, who was found critically injured.

The bodies of the deceased were also recovered and sent for post-mortem examination. Police said the exact cause of the accident is yet to be confirmed, but preliminary assessments suggest that poor visibility due to dense fog at night may have played a major role.

The investigation is underway.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh