Four people were killed and another injured when a car plunged into a 200-metre-deep gorge near Haripur in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh early Tuesday morning, September 22.
The accident took place around 3:30 am on National Highway 305 near Haripur in the Ani subdivision, the police said. They were in a Hyundai Exter and were returning home after attending a marriage ceremony in Kumarsain.
But the car then slipped off the highway and plummeted into the deep gorge. Four passengers died, and one survived but suffered injuries, police said.
The deceased included Rahul Rana, Vikas, Gunjan and Bal Krishan. All four were residents of Jabbo village in the Ani area of Kullu district. The injured passenger was identified as Suresh Kumar.
Four Victims Belonged To The Same Village
The accident has left several families in Jabbo village mourning the deaths of four residents in one incident.
According to reports, the group had gone to Kumarsain to attend a wedding ceremony and was returning home when the accident occurred. It occurred in the early morning hours on a mountainous stretch of NH-305.
कुल्लू के आनी में गहरी खाई में गिरा कार चार लोगों की मौत , एक गंभीर रूप से घायल #kullu #himachal pic.twitter.com/67LCi0jz3J
— Devbhoomi Insider (@ukdinsider) September 22, 2026
Local media reported there were five people travelling in the car, and the exact circumstances in which the car left the road have not yet been established. Police are investigating the incident and the real cause of the accident is expected to be confirmed after the investigation.
The mountainous terrain and the depth of the gorge made it difficult to reach the accident site. The vehicle had fallen a considerable distance below the highway, so rescue teams had to work from the roadside down into the gorge.
The rescue operation went on until 8 AM.
After the accident was reported, teams from the district administration, police and fire services attended to the site and started a rescue operation.
The steep terrain and the depth of the gorge made it very difficult for rescue teams to navigate. The operation continued for several hours and lasted until around 8 am, said The New Indian Express.
Rescuers had to work to reach the occupants and to rescue the bodies from the gorge. The injured passenger Suresh Kumar was taken to Civil Hospital in Ani for treatment and later to Rampur Hospital for further medical care.
The bodies of the four deceased were sent for postmortem examination as part of the investigation and legal procedure.
The Kullu District Disaster Management Authority coordinated the emergency response. The Police Control Room in Kullu, Tehsildar Ani, SDPO Ani and SDM Ani were notified of the situation and they took part in the response. Ani MLA Lokender Kumar also monitored the rescue operation, as reported in the report.
Police investigating cause of accident
Police are investigating how the vehicle went off National Highway 305.
Though it has been speculated that the driver lost control of the vehicle, the cause of the crash has not been publicly determined. The crash will be investigated to determine the cause of the car leaving the road.
The accident again underscores the dangers that people face when driving on mountainous roads (at night and early morning hours) in mountainous areas. Highway roads in the hill areas often have abrupt turns, steep slopes, and stretches where vehicles leaving the carriageway can go very far.
No road or weather condition has been identified by authorities as the cause of this accident so far, however.
The accident has caused grief in Jabbo village, where four people have lost their lives in the crash. The injured passenger is getting medical care at the hospital, and police and district authorities are carrying out all necessary procedures after the accident.
More details will be forthcoming in the investigation of the Kullu car accident.
