Himachal Road Tragedy: 8 Bengaluru Tourists Killed While Heading to Sach Pass to Witness Snowfall

May 31, 2026

Chamba: Eight people, including two children, died on Friday night after a vehicle met with an accident on the ‘Bairagarh-Sach Pass-Killar’ route in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. The vehicle was carrying tourists who had arrived from Bengaluru. Their car plunged approximately 500 meters down into a deep gorge off the road. The police have registered a case and initiated an investigation.

According to reports, two families of tourists from Bengaluru booked a taxi (a Maruti Ertiga) from Dalhousie in Chamba on Friday. The two families set out around 12:00 PM to enjoy the snow and mountains in the Sach Pass Jot area.

GPS Location Raised Suspicion

After a considerable amount of time had passed and the taxi failed to return to Dalhousie, the vehicle’s owner grew apprehensive that something untoward might have occurred. The concerned owner checked the vehicle’s GPS location. According to the GPS data, the vehicle appeared to be stationary at a single spot near the Kalavan area; no signs of movement or activity of any kind were visible.

Subsequently, a local search operation was launched. Information regarding the accident was received on Saturday afternoon, at which point the local administration was formally notified. However, due to the extremely rugged terrain, steep and treacherous mountain slopes, and adverse weather conditions, the bodies could not be retrieved from the gorge yesterday.

Human chain and ropes to recover bodies

Consequently, the bodies of the deceased will be retrieved from the gorge today and, following a post-mortem examination, will be handed over to their relatives. The local administration has launched an operation to recover the bodies. The bodies are being brought out of the gorge by forming a human chain and utilizing ropes.

Due to the extremely remote nature of the area, there is no mobile network coverage in the region. As a result, the administration is unable to establish contact with the rescue team. Meanwhile, the exact cause of the accident has not yet been ascertained. The bodies are expected to be retrieved from the gorge shortly and sent for post-mortem examinations. Subsequently, the bodies will be handed over to the families.