Five soldiers lost their lives, and several others were injured when an Army vehicle veered off the road and plunged into a 350-foot-deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir‘s Poonch district on Tuesday. The tragic incident occurred in the Gharoa area as a convoy of six vehicles was en route to a forward post.
The Nagrota-based White Knight Corps confirmed the deaths on X, formerly Twitter, stating, “All ranks of #WhiteKnightCorps extend their deepest condolences on the tragic loss of five brave soldiers in a vehicle accident during operational duty in the #Poonch sector. Rescue operations are ongoing, and the injured personnel are receiving medical care.”
A defence spokesperson attributed the accident to a possible loss of control by the driver at a sharp turn. “A 2.5-ton vehicle, part of a convoy of six, went off the road into a nallah while traveling on an operational track near Poonch. The track is on the home side of the LoC fence,” the spokesperson said, adding that preliminary investigations ruled out any terrorist involvement.
The spokesperson also noted that a nearby Army post, located approximately 130 meters from the accident site, and a backup vehicle stationed 40 meters away, provided immediate assistance.
This tragedy follows a similar incident in the Kalakote area of Rajouri on November 4, when a soldier died and another was injured after their vehicle fell into a gorge.
Rescue efforts for Tuesday’s accident are ongoing, with the injured receiving medical treatment. The Army has launched an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the mishap.