Five people were killed and one person was critically injured on Saturday morning when a car plunged off the road at Daroti village in the Tikkar area of Rohru subdivision in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla district, police said. Shimla Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh said the accident was reported on Saturday morning at Daroti and that the injured man is undergoing treatment at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla, ANI reported.

Source: ANI

Police identified the dead as Kushal Shoukta, 29, and his mother Kalpana Shoukta, 49, both residents of Daroti village, and three Nepalese nationals who were living at Gujandali village in Tikkar tehsil — Meena, 22, wife of Prem; Nirmala, 21, wife of Pawan; and Roshan, 7, daughter of Prem.

The injured man, Prem, 28, also a Nepalese national, was first being taken to the Community Health Centre at Rohru but was referred to IGMC Shimla because of his critical condition, police said. Local reports said the group was travelling in the car when it veered off the Daroti link road near Panu Nala at around 8.30 am; the exact cause of the accident is not yet known.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed deep grief over the accident, describing it as deeply saddening and heart-wrenching, offered condolences to the bereaved families and directed officials to ensure adequate treatment for the injured, IANS reported. Education Minister Rohit Thakur also expressed sorrow over the deaths.

Source: IANS via Nation Press

Police have begun an investigation into the circumstances leading to the accident, and further details are awaited.