Shimla, Sep 12 (Inditop.com) Nine people were feared killed Saturday when a car rolled down into a swollen river on the Chandigarh-Manali highway in Himachal Pradesh, police said.

“Nine men were feared killed when their Tata Sumo vehicle fall into the swollen Beas river near Hanogi Temple on the national highway early this (Saturday) morning,” Superintendent of Police (Mandi) S.M. Agnihotri told Inditop.

He said the victims were in the 35-40 year age group and belonged to Hamirpur town in Himachal Pradesh. They were on their way to the Manikaran Sahib Sikh shrine.

“A search is on to locate the vehicle and its passengers but chances of finding any survivor are bleak as the river current is very turbulent due to heavy rains,” Agnihotri said.

The accident spot is some 200 km from state capital Shimla.