New Delhi - An overloaded jeep fell about 300 meters into a dry riverbed Sunday, 16 of the 18 people aboard in India's Himachal Pradesh state. Eight men and eight women died in the accident, and one person was listed as missing while an 11-year-old boy was rescued alive, Rampur deputy police superintendent Man SIngh said.
The jeep, part of a five-vehicle marriage procession, was on a winding mountain road near Rampur, about 135 kilometers north-east of Himachal's capital Shimla, and went out of control after its front axle malfunctioned.
Rampur, at more than 2,200 meters above sea level, records about 30 road accidents a year, mostly due to faulty vehicle maintenance and reckless or alcohol-impaired driving.
