Srinagar : A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was among nine soldiers dead and another was injured after an army vehicle they were travelling in skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in Leh district of Ladakh on Saturday, officials said.
An army officer told GNS that the accident took place at Kyari in Nyoma area of Leh this evening.
Soon after the incident, he said, a massive rescue operation was launched at the site. However, eight soldiers died on the spot and two others were injured, he said. The injured were evacuated to hospital and one of them succumbed to injuries later, the officer added. All the bodies have been receovered, he said. The soldiers were moving from Karu Garrison to Kyari when the accident took place, sources said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while condoling the death of the soldiers said that he was “saddened by the loss of Indian Army personnel due to an accident near Leh in Ladakh.”
“ We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation,” He said on ‘X’, formerly Twitter.
“My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy recovery,”Singh said, without mentioning the number of soldiers killed and injured in the accident.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that he was “deeply saddened by the tragic road accident in Ladakh in which we lost our valiant soldiers, as their vehicle fell into a gorge.”
“The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. My sincerest condolences to them. May the injured recover at the earliest,” he posted on ‘X’.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha posted on ‘X’: “Extremely pained by the loss of lives of Army personnel in a tragic accident in Ladakh. Their supreme sacrifice & selfless service to the nation will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families in this hour of grief. Prayers for early recovery of injured.”(GNS)
