In the early hours of Thursday, an SUV that was traveling from Gujarat dropped into a 300‑meter‑deep gorge in Uttarakhand, India, killing four men and leaving a woman seriously wounded and two women missing, a local police officer confirmed. The vehicle had crashed into the gorge’s steep walls before falling through the ravine, hitting a river below. The incident occurred on a remote stretch of road near the state’s northern border, a route commonly used by pilgrims. The event unfolded before dawn, when visibility was limited and emergency response teams were still mobilizing.
The SUV carried a total of seven passengers in addition to the driver, comprising three men and three women. All occupants were from the western state of Gujarat, where the group had been traveling for a pilgrimage to a temple in Uttarakhand. The four deaths were all men, including the driver. A woman suffered serious injuries, and two other women remain missing. The police officer on scene said that the vehicle had suffered a sudden loss of control before plunging into the gorge.
Eyewitnesses reported that the vehicle first skidded on the uneven road, then veered off the edge of a cliff. As it fell, the SUV broke apart, and its wheels slammed into the rocky gorge floor. After the initial impact, the wreckage floated briefly before ultimately sinking to the riverbed. Rescue teams later found the vehicle’s remains beneath a sheet of ice in the river, indicating the depth and cold conditions during the early‑morning hours.
The Uttarakhand police have launched a search operation for the missing female passengers. According to the officer, teams are combing the gorge’s steep walls and the surrounding forest for clues. The operation has involved local search and rescue volunteers, who are using binoculars and rope to examine hard‑to‑reach areas. The police also requested assistance from the national disaster response unit to aid in the search and medical support for the injured.
Officials stated that the incident underscored the hazards of traveling through mountainous terrain during pilgrimage season. The group was part of a larger contingent of pilgrims from Gujarat who had travelled along the route to a revered shrine in the region. While the police continue to investigate the cause of the accident, families of the victims await updates from authorities as the search for the missing women progresses.
