Kullu, Jan 1: Three people were killed and one woman critically injured after a car returning from Kasol crashed on the Kullu bypass road in the early hours of Thursday, police said.
The accident occurred around 1 a.m. near Bhootnath Bridge when the vehicle rammed into a parapet installed along the bridge before colliding with a truck parked on the roadside. The impact was severe, killing three occupants on the spot.
“The car first struck the parapet and then hit a stationary truck. Three people died instantly,” a police officer said.
The injured woman was rushed to Kullu hospital, where doctors described her condition as serious. “She is under close medical observation,” a hospital official said.
Police identified one of the deceased as Satpal, a resident of Kullu. The identities of the other two victims, both women, are yet to be confirmed. Preliminary findings indicate the group had gone to Kasol on December 31 to celebrate Satpal’s birthday and the New Year and were returning home when the crash occurred.
Satpal was a tattoo artist who ran a studio in Akhara Bazar. His death has cast a pall of grief across the town, with friends and residents expressing shock over the incident.
A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident. “We are examining the speed of the vehicle, road conditions and the circumstances in which the truck was parked,” the officer said.
Post-mortem examinations will be conducted at Kullu hospital later in the day, after which the bodies will be handed over to the families.
