At least five people were killed after their vehicle rolled down into a gorge on Zoji La Pass on Thursday. The vehicle was on the way to Sonamarg from Kargil when it skidded off the road and fell into a gorge.

This was the second accident in the last three days on the Zoji La Pass. On Tuesday, a similar accident claimed the lives of five people including four tourists from Kerala.

The accident took place as the SUV in which they were traveling, skidded off the snow-covered road along the Zoji La Pass and plunged into the gorge along the Srinagar-Leh National Highway in the Gaderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir, said the police.

There were eight passengers, all from Kerala on the vehicle. They were identified as Rajaesh Krishnai, Arun Karuposomi, Anil Rajinder, Rahul Krishna, Vignash Shewam, and Manooj Mahadev, along with the driver, identified as Aijaz Ahmed Awan.

The rescue operation was carried out by the Sonamarg police with the help of the locals. The injured people were rushed to Sonamarg’s Primary Health Centre (PHC) from where they were referred to SKIMS Soura for specialized treatment.