Srinagar: At least nine Army personnel died while one was critically injured after an Army vehicle they were travelling in met with an accident near Kyari area of Leh district in Ladakh on Saturday.
Superintendent of Police Leh, P D Nitya told Greater Kashmir that nine Army soldiers lost their lives in the accident while one Army personnel was critically injured.
She said that the accident occurred around 7 km from the Kyari area on the outskirts of Leh town.
“Soon after the accident, a rescue operation was launched and the injured were shifted to nearby medical facilities,” Nitya said.
She said that the rescue operation was still on.
Giving details, an official said that an Army vehicle moving towards Nyoma direction from Leh skidded off the road and fell into a gorge near an area 7 km from Kyari resulting in on the spot death of eight Army men while another Army personnel succumbed while being shifted to a hospital.
He said that in the fatal road accident, another soldier was critically injured and was being treated at MI Hospital, Leh. Expressing his condolences, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Saddened by the loss of Indian Army personnel due to an accident near Leh in Ladakh. We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy recovery.”
Reacting to the news, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in a X post, said: “Deeply saddened by the tragic road accident in Ladakh in which we lost our valiant soldiers, as their vehicle fell into a gorge. The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. My sincerest condolences to them. May the injured recover at the earliest.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed his condolences for the tragic incident. “The news of the martyrdom of many of our soldiers due to the accident in Ladakh is very sad. I pay my humble tribute to all the martyrs. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families of the Jawans. I hope for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he wrote on X.