Two youths died and three others were injured when their car plunged into a gorge at Pankhabari in Darjeeling's Kurseong subdivision early on Saturday.

According to a police source, the car was descending from the Darjeeling hills via Pankhabari when it lost control near the Tin Ghumti bend, approximately 30km from Kurseong town.

“Initial investigations suggest that the driver lost control at a bend, and the car veered off the road and fell into the gorge. There were five people in the vehicle, all from the Naxalbari area of Siliguri subdivision. Two among them, Sumit Singha of Footani More and Rajesh Paswan of Kotiajote, died on the spot,” said a police officer.

A local noticed the wrecked vehicle in the gorge. He immediately alerted others. Personnel from the Garidhura police outpost and the traffic department of Kurseong police station recovered the bodies with the assistance of locals.

The injured passengers are under treatment at the North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (NBMCH). Police have initiated a probe.