In a devastating road accident early Sunday morning, five men lost their lives and one sustained serious injuries when a Mahindra pickup vehicle, loaded with tent equipment, collided with the railing of a bridge and plunged into a gorge in Himachal Pradeshs Mandi district.   The incident occurred near the IIT Kamand bridge in the Katola region around 9 am. The vehicle, bearing a Punjab registration number (PB02EG-4543), was en route from Amritsar to IIT Kamand, transporting tent supplies for an event. Six people were travelling in the vehicle — four seated on top of the loaded material in the open rear, and two in the front cabin.   According to eyewitnesses, the pickup truck veered off course and hit the bridge railing. The sudden impact caused the men seated atop the cargo to be flung off the vehicle and fall into the fast-flowing Khad (seasonal stream) below. All four died on the spot. Of the two passengers in the cabin, one was killed while the driver survived but sustained serious injuries.   The deceased have been identified as Sukhvinder Singh from Ludhiana; Umesh Kumar from Amritsar; Sagar from Ferozepur; while two other victims remain unidentified. The injured driver Daljit Singh in Tarn Taran district, was rushed to Mandi Zonal Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.   Speaking from the hospital, Daljit revealed that the vehicles brakes had failed just as they approached the bridge. We had left Amritsar last night and halted briefly in Sundernagar. As we descended towards Kamand this morning, I realized the brakes werent responding. I couldnt stop the vehicle from hitting the bridge railing, he told the police.   Local residents and passersby rushed to the site to help, but four victims had already succumbed to their injuries. Rescue operations were conducted under the supervision of Kamand police post officials, and the deceased bodies were sent for postmortem.   Mandi Superintendent of Police Sakshi Verma confirmed the incident and said, We have informed the families of the deceased. A case has been registered and a thorough investigation is underway to ascertain mechanical faults and possible negligence.   The tragedy has once again raised concerns over unsafe transportation practices in hilly areas, especially when people travel in open cargo sections, ignoring basic safety norms.   HP CM expresses grief over road accident Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday expressed grief over the tragic road accident occurred near Kamand in Padhar of district Mandi, in which five persons lost their lives and one other sustained serious injuries.   The Chief Minister said that this is a heart-wrenching incident and the State Government stands firmly with the affected families in this hour of grief. He directed the District Administrations to provide all possible assistance to the families of the deceased and ensure best medical care to the injured.   Sukhu prayed to the Almighty to grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved family members to bear this irreparable loss. He has wished for the speedy recovery of the injured.

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