Shimla, April 19 (PTI) Two persons were killed while two others sustained injuries after a JCB excavator plunged into a gorge near Shimla, police said on Saturday.

The deceased have been identified as Sukhdev Singh Rana (31), a resident of Rupnagar district in Punjab, and Hari Nam Singh (30) from Kinnaur district. The injured — Charanjeet Singh (26) from Punjab and Neeraj Kumar (20) from Bihar — are undergoing treatment at the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla, police said.

The accident took place on Friday near the Jwala Mata temple when Sukhdev lost control of the excavator, which skidded into a gorge. All four occupants of the excavator were rushed to the IGMC where doctors declared Sukhdev and Hari Nam brought dead, police said.

Shimla SSP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi confirmed the deaths and said police have launched a probe after registering a case. PTI COR ARI