Nine soldiers were killed after their truck skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in Leh district of Ladakh on Saturday, ANI quoted defence officials as saying. One more official was injured, they said.
The deceased include eight soldiers and one Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO). The truck was moving from Karu garrison to Kyari near Leh when it fell into the gorge 7 kms ahead of Kyari town. It was a part of a troop including an SUV and an ambulance with a total of 34 personnel. The three vehicles were a part of a recce party.
Around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, the accident happened near Kerey in Nyoma, a region of southern Ladakh. According to officials, there is a rescue effort going on there.
Rajnath Singh, the minister of defense, expressed his sympathies to the families of the fallen on social media.
“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. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy recovery,” he wrote in a tweet on Twitter, now rebranded as X.
