Chamba, Himachal Pradesh | June 2, 2026: In a heartbreaking turn of events, seven people, including a family from Tamil Nadu, lost their lives when their taxi plunged into a 500-metre deep gorge on the Bairgarh-Sach-Pass-Killar Road in Chamba district late on May 29. The accident occurred as the victims were returning from a trek to Sach Pass after attending the National Taekwondo Competition in Dalhousie.
Among the deceased were Karthigeyan P.G., his wife Manimala, and their son Nandan, all residents of Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu. They had been accompanied by another family from Chhattisgarh, led by Arvind Chandrakar, who also perished in the crash along with his wife Prachi and their two sons, Darsh and Akshad. Both families had traveled together from Bengaluru to Delhi, Mathura, and Himachal Pradesh, bonding over their children’s participation in the taekwondo event held in Dalhousie from Wednesday to Friday. Following the competition, they had planned a weekend trek to Sach Pass.
The tragedy came to light through a harrowing discovery by Karthigeyan’s sister, Jayanthashree G., who realized something was amiss when she could not reach her brother for over a day. Unable to get through, she logged into his YouTube account and checked his search history, where she found entries related to Sach Pass in Chamba district. This led her to suspect they had gone trekking there. Further investigation revealed news reports of a fatal accident in the area. Initially, the names of the victims were not disclosed, but upon seeing the list of those killed, Jayanthashree confirmed the worst—her brother, his wife, and son were among the victims.
Speaking to the media, Jayanthashree recounted the ordeal of confirming the tragedy and the difficulties in contacting officials. “Even the local officials didn’t know there was an accident,” she said. The breakthrough came when the owner of the car rental company, whose taxi was involved in the crash, checked the GPS location of the driver. The GPS indicated the vehicle had been stationary for a prolonged period, prompting further action. Through relatives, Jayanthashree connected with a bureaucrat in Delhi, who facilitated communication with local Himachal Pradesh officials.
Jayanthashree shared that her family had taken great care not to break the news to their 60-year-old mother, Vijaylakshmi, directly. Instead, they planned to bring the bodies to Tiruppur via Amritsar-Delhi and Coimbatore, ensuring she would not be shocked upon seeing them. Jayanthashree’s husband, uncle, and cousin brother have already left for Himachal Pradesh to bring back the mortal remains. The bodies are expected to arrive in Tiruppur either tonight or tomorrow morning.
Karthigeyan, a native of Tiruppur, ran a food catering business in Bengaluru, supplying meals to several private schools in Kadugodi. His wife, Manimala, worked as a Mathematics teacher at KSVK School in Channasandra, while their son, Nandan, was a student in class VII at Chrysalis High in Kadugodi. Arvind Chandrakar, who hailed from Chhattisgarh, worked for a multinational company in Bengaluru. His wife, Prachi, and their two sons, Darsh and Akshad, were also students at Chrysalis High.
The accident has left the families shattered, with the loss of loved ones in an unforeseen and tragic manner. As investigations continue, the incident serves as a grim reminder of the risks associated with trekking and travel in remote and hilly terrains.
