Five tourists from Odisha died when the SUV they were travelling in went off NH10 and fell into a gorge near Lohapool in Kalimpong district on Tuesday afternoon.

Three other tourists and the driver have suffered injuries and are under treatment at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri.

Sources said a group of eight tourists, believed to be relatives, had been to Zuluk, a popular hotspot in east Sikkim, around five days back.

On Tuesday, they took an SUV and were descending the hills to take a train from the New Jalpaiguri station.

“Preliminary reports suggest the driver lost control and the vehicle went off the road and fell into a gorge. An investigation has started,” said a Kalimpong police officer.

The dead have been identified as Abhijit Rath, 45, Sulochana Panda, 63, Sakuntala Nanda, 60, Ratikanta Nanda, 66, and Sabita Nanda.

The injured are tourists Dolly Das, Saisneha Rath and Shwethpadma Nanda, and driver Bhupal Chhetri.

Lohapool is around 35km from Siliguri.