CHURACHANDPUR, Jan 6: At least four people were killed and several others injured in a road accident near Ngaljang village under the Singngat subdivision of Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Monday.
The deceased have been identified as Thangmuanmung Khuptong, Hauchiin, Chingngaihsiam and Niangzaniang. The injured were rushed to nearby health facilities for treatment, though their condition was yet to be officially confirmed at the time of filing this report.
According to preliminary information, the accident occurred around noon when a DI pick-up truck carrying around 40 passengers was travelling to attend a sending-off ceremony of a would-be bride in the village. While negotiating a steep and sharply inclined hill road, the vehicle reportedly slipped backwards, failed to regain momentum and rolled down the hillside, plunging into the slope below.
Four occupants died on the spot, while many others sustained injuries of varying degrees. Local residents and volunteers were the first to reach the accident site and initiated rescue efforts before police and district officials arrived to take over relief and rescue operations.
Authorities later cordoned off the area and began assessment and investigation into the cause of the accident, even as concerns were raised over overcrowding and the safety of vehicles operating on narrow hill roads.
The incident marks the second fatal road accident in Churachandpur district within a week. On December 31, an ambulance transporting a body from Moreh to Churachandpur district headquarters plunged into a river at Teijangkot village, killing the driver and a handyman on the spot.
The back-to-back accidents have once again highlighted serious road safety concerns in the hilly terrain of the district, with locals urging authorities to take preventive measures to avoid such tragedies.
