10 soldiers killed as vehicle falls into gorge in Doda

Srinagar: Ten army men were killed and 11 others injured on Thursday when an Army vehicle carrying troops for an operation slipped off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir

The accident took place at the 9,500-feet-high Khanni top along Bhaderwah-Chamba interstate road around noon when the driver of a bulletproof Army vehicle heading towards a high-altitude post lost control and the vehicle plunged into an over 400-foot gorge.

Senior district administrative officials said, "21 army men were travelling in a casper bullet proof vehicle" when it slipped off the road near a turn "which had developed a frost". "The casper vehicle plunged into a gorge around 400-500 feet deep into a nallah as it slipped off the road due to frost. Ten deaths have been confirmed and 10 army men were seriously injured, while an army man received minor injuries," a senior administrative official told ET. An unconfirmed video shot purportedly at the spot during the initial hours of the rescue operation shows a vehicle in an extremely mangled condition.


Officials said a joint rescue operation by the Army and police, along with some locals was immediately launched and four of the soldiers were found dead on the spot and 11 others who were injured were rescued. Later, six more injured soldiers died. One of the injured is under observation in Bhaderwah sub-district hospital while 10 soldiers were airlifted to Udhampur command hospital for specialised treatment while one is under observation in Bhaderwah Sub-district hospital.

Lieutenant Governor of J&K Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and several politicians have expressed grief over the accident. "Deeply saddened at the loss of lives of 10 of our brave Indian Army soldiers in an unfortunate accident in Doda."