Three Indian Army officials and 13 jawans tragically killed on Friday December 23, in a remote region of North Sikkim close to the India-China border after a truck slipped off the road and fell into a gorge.
According to a statement from the Indian Army, the tragedy occurred in Zema on Friday when the car fell while taking a sharp turn. The ill-fated vehicle that the jawans were in was a part of a convoy of three vehicles that had departed from Chatten in the morning and was headed toward Thangu. Four injured soldiers were airlifted to safety after a rescue mission was immediately launched. Sadly, 13 soldiers and three junior commissioned officers tragically martyred from their injuries.
The injured have reportedly been evacuated to an Army hospital in North Bengal, according to a senior police officer. The accident happened at 8 a.m. near Zema 3, which is located around 15 miles from Lachen and roughly 130 kilometers from the state capital Gangtok.
Army jawans bodies have been found –
From the crash site, all 16 bodies have been recovered. According to Chungthang Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Arun Thatal, who was at the scene with a police squad from Lachen, the status of the four severely injured Army troops is still unknown.
The dead are being transported to Gangtok’s state-run STNM Hospital for a post-mortem, the army will receive the bodies once they have undergone an autopsy. He stated that the victims’ regiment has not yet been identified. According to the authorities, while the Army van travelled to its destination, it had been picking up Army men along the route.
ANI Tweeted, “16 army personnel have lost their lives four injured in a road accident involving an Army truck at Zema, North Sikkim. The accident happened when the vehicle skidded down a steep slope while negotiating a sharp turn: Indian Army.”
The President of India tweeted, “Anguished to learn about the loss of lives of brave soldiers of Indian Army in a road accident in Sikkim. My heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sorrow at the incident and offered his condolences for the deceased. The Prime Minister expressed his sorrow over the deaths of our courageous soldiers in Sikkim following a traffic accident. “Pained by the loss of lives of our brave army personnel due to a road maps app in Sikkim. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon: PM @narendramodi.”
Rajnath Singh, the minister of defence, expressed sorrow at the deaths of the soldiers and sent his condolences to their families. He said, “Deeply pained by the loss of lives of the Indian Army personnel due to a road accident in North Sikkim. The nation is deeply grateful for their service and commitment. My condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of those who are injured,” the defence minister tweeted.
