Three Including 2-Month-Old Baby Die after Car Falls into 500-Foot Ditch in Kalimpong

As per police sources, the four-wheeler they were travelling in suddenly lost control near a lava and fell into a ditch, killing the father, driver and toddler on spot. Two others have been injured and are being treated at a local hospital.

Kolkata: In a sever road accident that took place in West Bengal's Kalimpong, three people including a two-month-old baby died after a car fell into a 500-foot deep ditch in Lava in the wee hours of June 4. The incident has triggered panic and fear in the area.

The deceased have been identified as Vinod Chetri, driver Dipesh Karki and the toddler, Abhishyan Chhetri. As per police sources, the baby, Karki and Chetri died on the spot while Chetri's wife Snow Moktan and his elder son Abhi Chhetri escaped miraculously.

Both of them are undergoing treatment at the Kalimpong District Hospital with grave injuries. All the dead and injured ones are said to be residents of Sangse village in the Kalimpong district.

It is to be noted that Vinod Chhetri along with his wife Snow Moktan and two sons Abhi Chhetri and Abhishyan Chhetri had travelled to Patharjhora in Malbazar in a four-wheeler to visit his ailing mother-in-law. However, driver Karki and Chhetri left for home on the night of June 4 as they had work on Wednesday, June 5.

Several family members advised them to not travel at night but they did not listen. While returning home, the four-wheeler they were travelling in suddenly lost control near the lava and fell into the ditch.

After the accident, the locals managed to rescue the injured people in the middle of the night. However, the rest could not be rescued as the car was in a deep ditch. In the wee hours of June 5, the police along with officials of the fire brigade recovered the vehicle and retrieved the bodies of the dead which were then sent to the hospital for postmortem.

Vinod's friend Pavan Chhetri said, "Vinod and I are childhood friends and the news of the accident came as a shock to me in the morning. I am concerned about his wife and son."