16 jawans killed as Army truck falls into gorge in Sikkim; ‘Pained,’: Rajnath Singh

Sixteen jawans, including three Junior Commissioned Officers and 13 soldiers, of the Indian Army, lost their lives in an accident on Friday as the truck they were travelling skidded down a steep slope and fell into a gorge, the Indian Army said in a statement. The accident took place at Zema in North Sikkim. The vehicle was part of a three-vehicle convoy that had moved from Chatten in the morning towards Thangu. Enroute at Zema, the vehicle skidded down a steep slope while negotiating a sharp turn, the Army statement said.

The accident left four soldiers injured who have been air evacuated, the Army said.

Prime minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed pain in the loss of the lives of the soldiers and offered condolences to the bereaved families. "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.

“Pained by the loss of lives of our brave army personnel due to a road mishap in Sikkim. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon,” PMO tweeted.

“Anguished to learn about the tragic road accident that took away the lives of our brave Army soldiers in Sikkim. I express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. The injured have been provided with every possible assistance, may they recover at the earliest,” Union home minister Amit Shah said.

(With inputs from Bureau)