Manali, August 1: Two individuals lost their lives and three others sustained injuries after an SUV skidded off the road and dropped into the Manalsu nallah in Old Manali on Saturday. The incident occurred as a black Maruti Jimny traveling from Vashisth toward Manali lost control along the hilly terrain. Local authorities confirmed that formal legal proceedings have commenced under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to determine the exact circumstances of the crash.
Providing details regarding the vehicle’s trajectory, Manali Deputy Superintendent of Police KD Sharma stated that the SUV plunged nearly 20 feet into the nallah while carrying five occupants. Emergency responders rushed the victims to a nearby medical facility, where the driver, thirty-two-year-old Rohit Kumar of Mandi district, and thirty-five-year-old Karun Bauddh of Bajaura were pronounced dead by attending doctors.
The three surviving passengers—Vivek, aged thirty; Naresh Kumar, aged twenty-eight; and Urmila, aged twenty-two—remain under medical observation at the hospital. Police officials affirmed that post-mortem examinations for the deceased will take place in the presence of family members once preliminary procedures conclude.
Initial findings by law enforcement suggest the mishap stemmed from high speed and loss of vehicular control on the winding route. Addressing road safety concerns in the region, DSP Sharma asserted that motorists must strictly adhere to speed limits, obey traffic regulations, and exercise heightened vigilance while navigating mountainous corridors to prevent similar tragic occurrences.
