5 soldiers killed as army vehicle falls into gorge in Poonch, army rules out terror angle

Five soldiers were killed and as many others injured when an Army vehicle skidded off the road and rolled down a 300-feet deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district on Tuesday evening, officials said, while ruling out any terror angle.A defence spokesperson said the cause of the accident is being ascertained but possibly the driver lost control at the turn of the road.

Five soldiers were killed and as many others injured when an Army vehicle skidded off the road and rolled down a 300-feet deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Tuesday evening, officials said, while ruling out any terror angle.

A defence spokesperson said the cause of the accident is being ascertained but ''possibly the driver lost control at the turn of the road''. The accident occurred in the Gharoa area when a convoy of six vehicles was on its way to Banoi in the district.

The officials quoted above said rescue teams have recovered five bodies from the gorge which is 300-350 feet deep.

The injured soldiers have been shifted to the field hospital in Poonch, he said, adding one of them is in critical condition.

''One 2.5 Ton vehicle, part of a convoy of six vehicles, while moving on the operational track near Poonch, went off the road into a nallah. Operational track is on the home side of the LOC fence,'' the defence spokesperson said in a statement.

He said five soldiers died in the incident and as many are injured.

The Army, meanwhile, ruled out terrorism angle to the incident. ''A terrorist Initiated Incident positively ruled out after confirming from ground sources. Own post approximately 130 m from the incident site and backup vehicle was barely 40 meters away,'' he said. The Northern Command said Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar and all ranks of Dhruva Command extend their deepest condolences on the tragic loss of five brave soldiers.

''Dhruva Command stands firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief'', the command said on X.

All ranks of White Knight Corps extend their deepest condolences ''Rescue operations are ongoing, and the injured personnel are receiving medical care,'' the White Knight Corps said on X.

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