A sightseeing trip to Nainital turned tragic for six tourists from Lucknow after their Tavera vehicle plunged nearly 40 metres into a gorge near Jyolikot while returning to Kathgodam on Thursday morning. Police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) launched a rescue operation and safely evacuated all the occupants from the accident site.
According to officials, the tourists—Siddharth Pratap Singh (24), Nikhil Tripathi (20), Aditya Tripathi (24), Siddhant Singh (23), Adarsh Mishra (23), and Nikhilendra Singhal (23), all residents of Gomti Nagar, Lucknow—were travelling with local driver Sangram Singh in a Tavera (registration number UK 04 TB 3870) after visiting Nainital.
The accident occurred a short distance beyond Jyolikot No. 1, where the vehicle reportedly went out of control and fell into a deep gorge. The impact triggered panic among the passengers, prompting immediate alerts to the emergency services.
Police and SDRF personnel reached the spot and carried out a rescue operation to bring the injured occupants out of the gorge. According to ASI Sunil Kumar, the driver Sangram Singh and tourist Nikhilendra Singhal sustained serious injuries in the crash. Both were shifted to Sushila Tiwari Hospital, Haldwani, in a 108 ambulance for advanced treatment.
The remaining four tourists also suffered injuries but were reported to be in stable condition. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
The incident serves as another reminder for travellers to exercise caution while driving on the hilly roads of Uttarakhand, especially during the monsoon season when road conditions can become unpredictable.
