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Saddened, say Prez Kovind, PM Modi on death of 7 soldiers in Ladakh accident
The accident, in which several other soldiers were critically hurt, happened when the vehicle that was carrying the soldiers from Nubra to Turtuk fell in the Shyok river near Largyab, Pachhathang.
At least seven soldiers of the Indian Army died after a vehicle carrying 26 jawans fell in the Shyok river in Ladakh's Turtuk sector on Friday. Nineteen others received critical injuries in the accident all of whom were airlifted to the Army's Western Command Hospital in Panchkula.
The accident happened when the vehicle that was carrying the army troops from Nubra to Turtuk fell in the river near Largyab, Pachhathang.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed their grief on the accident and hoped for speedy recovery of the injured.
“Saddened to know that an unfortunate road accident in Ladakh has claimed the lives of some of our brave soldiers. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan wrote on its official Twitter handle.
The PM said All possible assistance is being provided to the affected soldiers. “Anguished by the bus accident in Ladakh in which we have lost our brave army personnel. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being given to the affected,” Modi wrote on Twitter.
Union home minister Amit Shah also expressed his condolences and wished for a speedy recovery of the injured in a tweet in Hindi
Gandhi wrote, “Extremely saddened to hear of the tragic accident with Indian Army personnel in Ladakh. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families, and wishes for the speedy recovery of our injured soldiers.”
A senior official said, “The vehicle skidded off the road and fell in the Shyok river to a depth of around 50-60 feet, resulting in injuries to all occupants.”
A party of 26 soldiers was moving from the transit camp in Partapur to a forward location in sub-sector Hanif. "Around 9am, 25km from Thoise, the vehicle skidded off the road and fell in the Shyok river," the official added.
An FIR was registered at the Nubra police station in this regard.
(With agency inputs)
