Five soldiers died and five others were injured when an Army truck veered off the road and fell into a 300-foot gorge in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. The accident occurred at around 5:20 PM in Gharoa area when the vehicle, part of a six-vehicle convoy, was heading to Banoi in the district, officials said.
Condolence was also offered through the Twitter handle of the Indian Army’s 16 Corps in these words: “All ranks of #WhiteKnightCorps extend their deeply condolences on the tragic loss of five brave soldiers due to a vehicle accident during operational duty in #Poonch sector “.
A defence spokesperson said, “While the cause of the accident is still under investigation, the preliminary reports suggest that the vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a gorge while negotiating a curve.” It also emerged there was no evidence to show any terrorist involvement in the incident.
Rescue operations are underway, in which injured personnel are receiving medical attention. Quick Response Teams from the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police have been deployed at the site.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted, “Deeply anguished by the terrible news of the martyrdom of five of our brave Indian Army soldiers in a vehicle tragedy in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of our bravehearts. We salute their sacrifice and selfless service to the nation. Our thoughts are with the injured, and we wish them a speedy and complete recovery.”
The leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi also condoled the death and stated that the news of death of soldiers was very sad to hear.
