Accident: A search is currently underway for a 19-year-old man, who was driving a car that veered off and fell 250 feet below the road in to the river at Charkilo on the Thimphu-Chunzom highway on July 11.

The accident happened at around 9:50pm when the driver and a passenger were on their way to Paro from Thimphu.

According to sources, the 22-year-old passenger who fell into the river survived with minor injuries.

A traffic police official said that speeding might have been the cause of the accident.

The search team involving officials from the police, army, desuups and the victim’s relatives spotted the vehicle near the bridge to the Education City site, around 500 metres downstream from the accident spot at around 1am yesterday.

Traffic police officials said that the majority of the highway accidents are caused by speeding and drink driving. “Drivers should act responsibly and refrain from any distractions while driving.”

One of the reasons for highway checking is to monitor drivers and reduce road accidents, the official added.

Dechen Tshomo