Three people were killed in a road accident on the Darjeeling-Kurseong route after a car with eight passengers lost control and plunged into a deep gorge amid heavy rain on Thursday night, the police said.

The remaining five occupants were rushed to the hospital with critical injuries, according to sources.

Though the exact cause of the accident is not yet clear, the police suspect that incessant rain in Darjeeling, as part of the remnants of Cyclone Montha, had made the mountain roads extremely slippery.

“The incident occurred on Thursday night near the Sonada Eight Mile and Gorabari area while the vehicle was descending from Darjeeling towards Kurseong. According to initial information, the car suddenly lost control on the treacherous mountain road, skidding off the road and rolling down into the dense forest on the hillside,” said the police.

Two people died at the scene, and one more person succumbed to injuries after being taken to the hospital. The driver and four other occupants are currently undergoing treatment for severe injuries.

Residents of the locality assisted in the rescue operation and helped transport the injured to the hospital, the police said.

The police confirmed that all the people in the car were local people, reportedly returning to Kurseong or nearby areas after a trip to Darjeeling.

Meanwhile, the Alipore regional centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that adverse weather conditions are likely in Darjeeling due to the Cyclone Montha effect. The IMD has issued a red alert for several districts, forecasting very heavy rain in Darjeeling for Friday. Rain is expected to continue in the hills and adjoining areas until Saturday, after which the weather is likely to dry up gradually. Authorities have urged drivers and passengers to exercise maximum caution while travelling on hill roads during this period of adverse weather.