A tragic accident occurred on the Kotdwar-Pauri National Highway on Saturday after a massive boulder fell on a moving Bolero during road widening work near Satpuli. One person died on the spot, while two others, including the driver, sustained serious injuries. Police, SDRF personnel and local villagers carried out a rescue operation to pull the victims out of the badly damaged vehicle.
According to officials, the accident took place around 3 pm on the Satpuli-Malli route. A Bolero bearing a Ghaziabad registration number was travelling from Gumkhal towards Satpuli when a huge boulder suddenly rolled down the hillside during road widening work and landed directly on the vehicle.
The impact completely crushed the Bolero. A passenger seated beside the driver died on the spot, while the driver and another occupant were trapped inside the mangled vehicle with serious injuries.
After receiving information, teams from Satpuli Police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation with the help of local residents.
Station House Officer Anil Chauhan said one of the injured was trapped so badly that rescuers had to cut open the Bolero using a cutter machine before he could be pulled out safely. Both injured persons were later shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The deceased has been identified as 45-year-old Sreekanth, a native of Kerala. The injured have been identified as 61-year-old Saranjeet, a resident of Delhi, and Uday, originally from West Bengal and currently residing in Delhi. All three were employed by a private company in Ghaziabad.
Police said efforts are underway to inform the families of the deceased and the injured. Further investigation into the incident is in progress.
