TURA: Two school children were killed when the vehicle they were travelling on lost control and overturned landing on their fragile bodies on Tuesday afternoon at Chokpot region of South Garo Hills.
The incident occurred at approximately 1:20 in the afternoon when the brother and sister duo were returning home from their school. They were students of Infant Jesus Christ school at Raja Ronggat, near Chokpot.
The elder brother Amsrang Ch Marak, aged 13, and his cousin sister Raksrame Ch Marak (12) hitched a ride on the back of a Mahindra Pick up along with a large group of other occupants on the commercial vehicle coming from Chokpot town.
While heading up a hilly portion of the road at Watregre village, 20 kms from Chokpot, the driver suddenly lost control when a gear reportedly slipped pushing the vehicle backwards into a nearby gorge.
The two children were flung out of the vehicle into the gorge with the other passengers and the vehicle rolled backwards and fell on top of them killing them on the spot.
Eleven other occupants of the vehicle sustained grievous injuries and were rushed to Chokpot medical centre for emergency treatment. Among the injured three were rushed in a critical condition to Tura civil hospital for further treatment.