Mandi: Four people were killed and seven others critically injured following a head-on collision between two speeding trucks inside the Hanogi Tunnel on the Chandigarh-Manali Fourlane in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district on Thursday morning.
According to the police, the incident occurred when an Eicher truck traveling from Mandi towards Kullu collided directly with a Tata truck heading in the opposite direction. Both vehicles were moving at high speeds inside the tunnel. The impact was severe enough to tear off an entire side of the Eicher truck, trapping several occupants inside the wreckage.
Local residents and police personnel rushed to the spot upon receiving information and launched a rescue operation. Rescuers had to cut through the twisted metal of the damaged truck using iron rods to pull out the trapped victims.
All victims were immediately transported to nearby medical facilities. The Medical Officer at CHC Nagwain declared three individuals dead on arrival. Out of the seven injured who received preliminary treatment, critical patients were referred to the Medical College in Nerchowk and Zonal Hospital in Kullu. One of the severely injured victims later succumbed to injuries during treatment at the hospital, taking the total death toll to four.
Confirming the incident, DSP Padhar Lokendra Negi stated that high speed inside the tunnel is believed to be the main cause of the crash. Police have registered a case and initiated a detailed investigation to ascertain the exact sequence of events. Official identification of the deceased and the injured was underway at the time of reporting.
