Three children die in accident after vehicle plunges into gorge in U'khand

Three children were killed when the four-wheeler they were travelling in plunged into a gorge in Pratapnagar block of this Uttarakhand district, police said on Sunday.

The accident occurred near Pujargaon on the Pujargaon-Lavarkha-Dodag-Thapla motorway. The driver, identified as Vijender Lal, jumped out of the vehicle before it fell into the gorge, they said.

Lambgaon police station SHO Mahipal Singh Rawat said the vehicle was on its way to Pujar village when the driver lost control and the vehicle fell into a 100-metre gorge.

Teams of 108 Services and State Disaster Response Force carried out relief and rescue operations.

Rawat said the three children who died on the spot have been identified as Gaurav (11), Shankar (10) and 14-year-old Akhilesh -- all residents of Pujar village.