Chhattisgarh tragedy: 18 killed as goods vehicle plunges into Kabirdham valley

Seventeen women and one man were killed and four people injured when a mini goods vehicle plunged into a valley in Chhattisgarh's Kabirdham district on Monday, 20 May, the local police say.

The accident occurred around 1.45 pm on Banjari Ghat near Bahpani village under Kukdur police station limits, an official said.

The victims were returning after plucking tendu leaves from a forest. The vehicle they were travelling in was meant only for goods transport, he said.

The vehicle skidded off the road, tumbled down a considerable distance and crashed on to the road below the valley, the official said.

A police team rushed to the spot and launched a rescue exercise. "Twelve women and a man were killed on the spot, while nine others sustained injuries and were shifted to a hospital, where five women died," Kabirdham superintendent of police (SP) Abhishek Pallava said.

The remaining four injured persons, including three women, have been referred for further treatment, he said.

Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai condoled the deaths and instructed the district administration to provide the best possible medical assistance to the injured.

'Learnt about the tragic accident in which 18 villagers died and four were injured after a pickup vehicle overturned near Bahpani village in Kabirdham district. Necessary instructions have been given to the district administration to provide better treatment to the injured. May the departed souls rest in peace, and I express my deepest condolences to their families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,' Sai said in his X post.

The President, Droupadi Murmu, also put out a condolence message, saying it was an extremely saddening tragedy: 'I express my deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this accident and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured,' she posted on X.