SRINAGAR: Four Army personnel lost their lives and two others were injured after the vehicle in which they were travelling in skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Saturday.
An Army official said while performing their duty, an Army vehicle that was part of a convoy skidded off the road and plunged into the deep gorge near SK Payeen area along the Srinagar-Bandipora highway. The accident occurred due to inclement weather and poor visibility.
Six soldiers travelling in the vehicle sustained injuries. The Army launched a rescue operation with the assistance of local residents. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared three of them dead upon arrival.
Another injured soldier succumbed to injuries later in the evening. The two remaining injured jawans were shifted to an Army hospital at Badamibagh Cantonment in Srinagar for specialised treatment.
Srinagar-based Defence spokesman M K Sahu said their condition is stable now. It is the second tragic road accident involving Army men in Jammu and Kashmir in 10 days.
On December 25, five soldiers were killed and as many were injured after their vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a 150 ft deep gorge near the Line of Control (LoC) in the border district of Poonch.
“Army’s General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar and all Ranks of Dhruva Command extend deepest condolences on the tragic loss of lives of four brave soldiers. Dhruva Command stands firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief,” Army’s Northern command posted on X.
Chief Minister Abdullah extended heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families, offering his prayers for strength and solace during this difficult time.
"We salute their selfless service to the nation. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of our bravehearts. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured soldiers and we wish them a complete and speedy recovery," Kharge said in a post on X.
The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha also referred to the Poonch incident.
"We urge the authorities to take appropriate measures to avoid such accidents due to inclement weather conditions and take adequate safety measures in the future," he said.
"I pay tributes to the martyred soldiers and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured. My deep condolences to the bereaved families," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Apni Party leader Altaf Bukhari also condoled the loss of lives.
(With inputs from PTI)