Imphal: Three people, including two senior Indian Information Service (IIS) officers, were killed and another critically injured after their vehicle plunged into a gorge near Sialsuk in Mizoram on Thursday, officials said.
The victims were returning to Aizawl from Sialsuk, a tourist destination around 65 km from the state capital, when their Bolero reportedly veered off a steep and rugged stretch of road.
The driver was the only survivor among the four occupants. He sustained multiple severe injuries but remained conscious and was able to communicate after the accident.
The deceased were identified as Engam Pame, Additional Director General of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Regional Office in Imphal; Nampibou Marinmai, Director (News) at Doordarshan Kendra and All India Radio (AIR) in Aizawl; and H. Lianvela, a multi-tasking staff member of the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) in Aizawl.
Pame and Marinmai belonged to Manipur’s Zeliangrong Naga community.
Pame had previously served as Director of the Directorate of Field Publicity in Shillong. Marinmai had earlier worked as a Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Defence and was chairman of the Inter Media Publicity Coordination Committee (IMPCC).
The two officers had recently attended an IMPCC meeting in Aizawl as special guests to coordinate regional public communication.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw expressed grief over the deaths. The Noney District Working Journalists’ Association also expressed shock and extended condolences to the families of the victims.