GOPESHWAR, CHAMOLI: Four pilgrims from Punjab were killed and five others injured on Tuesday evening when their jeep fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, police said.

The accident occurred between Marwari and Joshimath at about 6 PM when the pilgrims were returning from Hemkund Sahib, a famous Sikh shrine in Garhwal Himalayas, they added.

The vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge near the banks of the Alaknanda River, killing four persons on the spot, they said.

Two bodies have been recovered so far and efforts are on to extricate two more still trapped in the mangled remains of the vehicle, police said.

Five persons injured in the mishap have been rushed to a nearby hospital, they said.