Four killed as auto-rickshaw falls into gorge in Chhattisgarh

Four persons, including a married couple, were killed after the auto-rickshaw in which they were returning from a wedding function fell into a 50-feet deep gorge in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district on Wednesday, police said. Two other occupants of the vehicle, including an eight-year-old boy, sustained critical injuries in the accident which took place in Kardana Valley in the Sanna area in the afternoon, a police official said.

The deceased were identified as the owner-cum-driver of the auto-rickshaw Budhnath Ram, his wife Phulmati, Sevanti and Brihaspati Bai, he said. As per preliminary information, Budhnath Ram, his wife and four others were returning in the three-wheeler to their native Kardana village from nearby Sonkyari village where they had gone to attend a marriage function. When they reached near Chhatauari Kapukona village, the driver apparently lost control over the vehicle and it plunged into the gorge, he said.