Vehicle falls into gorge
near Nainital,
nine killed
Nainital (U’khand), Nov 17: Nine people were killed after their pick-up vehicle fell into a gorge on the Chheerakhan-Reethasahib motor road in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district early on Friday, police said. The accident occurred around 8 am when the vehicle was on its way from Patlot to Amjad village. It fell into a 500-metre gorge, Senior Superintendent of Police (Nainital) Prahlad Narayan Meena said. The vehicle fell into the gorge while trying to save a motorcycle approaching from the opposite direction, he said. While six people died on the spot, three succumbed in hospital. A couple and their son were among those who died, Meena said. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami condoled the loss of lives and prayed for a speedy recovery of the injured. (PTI)
Six terrorists killed in two encounters
in J&K
Srinagar/Jammu, Nov 17: Six terrorists were killed in two separate encounters with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, officials said. While five Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists were killed following an overnight encounter with the security forces in Kulgam district in the valley, one ultra was neutralised in Rajouri, they added. “The bodies of the slain terrorists have been retrieved and the area is being sanitised,” Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir Zone, VK Birdi said after the 18-hour gunbattle in Kulgam. Birdi said the bodies of the slain terrorists were located with the help of drone footage. The security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation in Nehama village of Kulgam following information about the presence of terrorists in the area on Thursday, officials said. The search operation turned into a gunbattle as the terrorists opened fire on the security personnel, they added. While the security forces maintained a tight cordon around the area where the ultras were trapped, the operation was suspended at night, the officials said. The slain terrorists were identified as Sameer Ahmad Sheikh, Yasir Bilal Bhat, Danish Ahmad Thokar, Hanzullah Yaqoob Shah and Ubaid Ahmad Padder. (PTI)