West Bengal: Four killed in car accident in Mirik

Mirik: In a road accident at Nol Dara village under the Mirik subdivision on Tuesday afternoon, four people lost their lives after a force cruiser taxi plunged off the road.

The accident occurred around 12:30 p.m. when the vehicle, a daily service taxi carrying about 18 to 19 passengers, was travelling from Karkarivita in Nepal towards Mirik. According to eyewitnesses, driver Rakesh Ruchal reportedly applied the brakes on a steep stretch, but the vehicle slipped backward, lost control, and rolled several feet down the hillside.

Three passengers died on the spot, while another succumbed to injuries during treatment at the hospital. The deceased have been identified as Dhan Bahadur (73), a resident of Nepal; Sajani Chettri (36) from Nirpani Busty; Binita Tamang, a pregnant woman from Sorsalay, Mirik, married in Nepal; and Wangchen Tamang from Sorsalay.

In another incident, 22 year old Sahil Rai lost his life while trying to save a man from drowning in Mirik Lake. Reportedly the drowning man had jumped into the lake in what appears to be a bid to commit suicide. Rai hailed from Mirik.