Six members of a family hailing from North 24 Parganas were killed and three others, including a child were injured when their car fell into a gorge while returning from Lachung in North Sikkim on Tuesday night.
The accident took place at Penegla, 5 km away from Gangtok. The victims were returning to Gangtok after a day's stay in Lachung when the ill-fated car fell into the gorge.
There were around eight persons in the car including the driver. Due to the road being slippery due to a light drizzle earlier, the car skidded and the driver failed to control the vehicle and it fell into the gorge.
Local administration initiated the rescue work but it was difficult for them to locate the car in the gorge. Despite poor weather condition, the rescue operation was carried out and the victims were brought out of the car.
They were taken to local hospital where five were declared brought dead and one later succumbed to his injuries. Three, including a small boy are still fighting for their lives.
Four of the victims - Michel Bag, B Sujata, Sefali Bag, Sovana Rajbag – are residents of Ichapur in North 24-Parganas. The two other victims - Jasmita Dandapat and her six-year-old daughter Triparna Dandapat – were residents of Odisha.
Sikkim Tourism Department has contacted both the Bengal and Odisha governments and steps have been taken to bring back the bodies of the victims.
The victims were staying in Zodiac Hotel in Gangtok and they were taken for the tour by a city-based travel agency.