LONGDING, Aug 11: A former gram panchayat member (GPM) was killed and 15 others were injured, four of them critically, when a pickup van met with an accident after it skidded off the hilly road near Khanu village in Longding district on Sunday morning.
The ill-fated vehicle, carrying football and volleyball players, was on its way from Khanu to Wakka. Reportedly, the driver lost control over the steering wheel while negotiating a sharp turn on the hilly road at Langgau rooh.
Team Khanu was due to play against Team Chongkhau, in the ongoing Independence Cup football and volleyball tournaments, on Sunday.
The deceased has been identified as Gangngam Gangsa, a native of Khanu village. The former GPM of Khanu leaves behind his wife and three children.
One Pongshih Wangham, who survived the accident with minor injuries, said the driver lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a sharp turn.
“I was sitting next to the driver, along with a woman with her six-month-old baby, when the incident occurred,” he said.
The woman also received grievous injuries while protecting her baby.
The injured persons were given preliminary treatment at the Wakka PHC. The four critically injured persons have been referred to Dibrugarh (Assam) for further treatment. (DIPRO)