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Two soldiers die while loading ammunition during training exercise in Bikaner
The defence spokesperson said that the charger exploded while the soldiers were loading ammunition during a training exercise.
Two soldiers of the Indian Army died in Bikaner's Mahajan field firing range on Wednesday while loading ammunition in a tank during a training exercise, news agency PTI reported.
The two soldiers died on the spot while one more was seriously injured. The body of the deceased soldiers has been sent to Military Hospital in Suratgarh.
The accident came to light when a sudden explosion was heard during a training exercise. Senior officers, including CO Lunkaransar Narendra Poonia, rushed to the spot. Officials believe that a mistake during the ammunition loading exercise might have caused the explosion. “The charger exploded while the soldiers were loading the ammunition,” said the defence spokesperson.
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“There were three soldiers who were practising with the tank. Ashutosh Mishra and Jitendra died in the explosion. The injured soldier has been taken to Chandigarh in a helicopter,” Circle Officer Lunkaransar (Bikaner) Narendra Kumar Poonia said.
While Mishra was from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh, Jitendra hailed from Dausa in Rajasthan.
Havildar dead
The incident is the second case of death in Bikaner's Mahajan field firing range.
On December 15, Havildar (Gunner) Chandra Prakash Patel of the 199th Medium Regiment died while towing a gun vehicle during a training exercise. According to India Today, the incident occurred during routine artillery deployments.
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Defence officials reported that Patel, 31, lost his life during an operational exercise while serving as the detachment commander in the Gun Battery. The incident occurred around 9:40 pm when Patel was in the process of attaching a gun to a towing vehicle. The vehicle lost traction on the ramp of a gun pit and slipped backward, critically injuring him.
Patel was immediately rushed to the nearest Field Hospital in an Army ambulance but succumbed to his injuries during treatment. A court of inquiry has been convened to investigate the incident. Defence sources confirmed to India Today that this case qualifies as a battle casualty due to its occurrence during an operational exercise.
