Four dead, three injured after car plunges into 50-foot-deep ditch in north Bengal

A tragic accident near Kalimpong killed four people and injured three when a car fell into a 50-foot ditch. Locals blame glare from another vehicle. Poor weather and road conditions are under scrutiny. Victims are receiving treatment

Kolkata: In a tragic accident, four people were killed and three others injured after a car plunged into a 50-foot-deep ditch near Kalimpong in north Bengal, police said on Saturday.

According to the police, the accident happened last night. They said the vehicle was travelling from Patharjhora to Gangtok in Sikkim on Friday night when it fell into the gorge in the Melli Kirani area along National Highway 10, under Kalimpong police station limits.

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The deceased have been identified as the driver, Kamal Subba (44), Sameera Subba, a woman in her 20s, and two residents of Bojojhari — Januka Dorji and Neeta Gurung.

Police said three more people received serious injuries. They are Sunita Thapa, Sandriya Rai, and Samiul Dorji. They are undergoing treatment at the Melli Sikkim Hospital.

Locals said that the incident occurred due to the glare of the headlights of another car coming from the other direction. However, the police are investigating the matter.

“An accident occurred last night. A car fell into a ditch. Four were killed and three were injured. The injured are being treated at a hospital in Sikkim. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem,” said a senior officer of Kalimpong district police.

Incidentally, heavy rainfall has lashed north Bengal in recent days, worsening road conditions and triggering landslides in several areas of north Bengal. More rains are expected in north Bengal in coming days.

On Saturday, the weather office maintained a red alert for Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri, forecasting over 200 mm of rain in parts of these districts. An orange alert has been issued for Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar, and North Dinajpur, while Malda and South Dinajpur are under a yellow alert.