India: 9 women dead after vehicle falls into gorge in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Nine women were reportedly killed while three others were critically injured after a vehicle carrying 12 people fell into a 30-metre deep gorge near Mananthavady in Kerala's Wayanad district on Friday.

The passengers on the ill-fated jeep were women labourers working in a tea estate and were returning home.

State Forest Minister A.K.Saseendran told the media that as per the directions of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, he is on his way to the Mananthavady hospital where the injured persons are receiving treatment. The bodies of the women labourers are kept in the same hospital.

The incident occurred at around 3.30 p.m. and rescue operations began quickly amid challenges due to the rocky terrain.