The remains of Indian Army truck that met with the fatal accident. (Photo via Twitter/@ashokkmrsingh)
New Delhi: The Indian Army lost 16 soldiers, including three junior commissioned officers (JCOs), when a truck carrying them skidded while taking a steep turn in Zema in north Sikkim’s Mangan district, the Army said in a media release, on Friday. The accident took place on Thursday.
The Army said a rescue mission was immediately launched and four soldiers, who were also injured in the accident, had been air-evacuated to a hospital for treatment.
According to the statement, the truck was part of a three-vehicle convoy that was travelling from Chatten towards Thangu in the morning. When the vehicle was passing through Zema, the vehicle skidded down a steep slope while negotiating a sharp turn.
The president, Droupadi Murmu; the prime minister, Narendra Modi; the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, and the Congress’s Rahul Gandhi were among those who expressed their grief and anguish over the incident.
