Srinagar, 17 June (H.S.): Two persons lost their lives after a private vehicle plunged into a deep gorge near Gujjar Sumbal on the Aru Valley road in Pahalgam area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday. Authorities are also verifying whether any additional passengers were travelling in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Official sources said that an Alto car bearing registration number JK03C-6737 met with a tragic accident after the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle near a sharp curve on the Aru route. The vehicle skidded off the road and rolled down into a deep gorge, triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

Sources said that two bodies have been recovered from the accident site so far. However, the identities of the deceased have not yet been officially confirmed by the authorities.

Soon after the incident, teams from the police, rescue agencies, and local volunteers rushed to the spot and launched an extensive search and rescue operation. Officials said that efforts are underway to ascertain whether only the two deceased persons were travelling in the vehicle or if there were additional occupants on board at the time of the accident.

Search operations were continuing till the filing of this report to rule out the possibility of any other person being trapped, missing, or injured in the gorge.

Police have taken cognizance of the incident and initiated an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar