Two Indian Air Force (IAF) jawans were killed and two were wounded while unloading explosives from a truck at the Chaandan Firing Range in Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan on Monday.
Defence spokesman Colonel N.N. Joshi said, “The incident occurred when a truck from Gujarat carrying scrap bombs and old explosives of the IAF was taken to the firing range for disposal of the scrap.
The entire consignment caught fire and two jawans died and two others got wounded,” he said.
The firing range is 45 km from Jaisalmer town in Jodhpur district. Jaisalmer is 550 km from Jaipur.
One of the wounded personnel was admitted to a hospital in Jaisalmer and the other was airlifted to the military hospital in Jodhpur.
Inspector General of Police (Jodhpur Range) Bhupendra Dak said the incident took place around 3:45 p.m. in the firing range area.
According to defence sources, the Jodhpur station of the IAF will carry out a major air exercise at the firing range on February 24. As the chief guest, President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil would witness the first-of-its-kind air exercise during the night.
The Chaandan firing range was in the news last month after a Sukhoi-30 fighter plane crashed there on November 30. Both pilots, had however, bailed out safely.
{{/usCountry}}The Chaandan firing range was in the news last month after a Sukhoi-30 fighter plane crashed there on November 30. Both pilots, had however, bailed out safely.
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