Tehri Garhwal, April 23 -- After a vehicle fell into a deep gorge in Uttarakhand's Tehri Garhwal district on Thursday, claiming eight lives, District Magistrate Nitika Khandelwal said that the preliminary assessment suggests the accident may have been caused after the driver fell asleep.

"In the accident that occurred between Chamba and Koti, what we are observing is that they had departed from here early in the morning at 5:00 AM from the District Hospital to take the deceased for their last rites, and they were returning on the exact same day. So, it seems probable that the driver was feeling sleepy or dozed off, as the vehicle suddenly took a turn and plunged into the gorge. There are no other signs visible, so this is our initial ass...