A major accident took place during the exercise of crossing the Shyok River by a tank in the Union Territory of Ladakh. Five soldiers including a JCO lost their lives in this accident. The accident took place around 1 am near Mandir Mor, 148 km from Chushul. The accident happened due to sudden floods in the river. According to defense spokesperson PS Sindhu, the facts are being investigated.
Officials said that army personnel were crossing the river in a T-72 tank near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Daulat Beg Oldi area of Ladakh. During this time, there was a sudden flood. Soon the rising water level of the river started engulfing the surrounding area. The tank also started getting caught in the strong current.
Despite the hard efforts of the army personnel, the control of the tank kept decreasing. In such a situation, the strong water swept away five army personnel and the tank. As soon as the information about the accident was received, other army teams immediately reached the spot.
Relief and rescue operations were started. Carrying out rescue operations amid flood waters was full of challenges. But still, the soldiers kept trying to save their comrades, but they could not be saved. On Saturday afternoon, officials informed that five brave soldiers including the JCO riding in the tank had lost their lives in this accident. All the bodies have been recovered.
The bodies have been taken to the hospital. Further process has been started from here. Five soldiers deployed to protect the country have sacrificed their lives. In this hour of grief, people from all over the country including Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh are standing with the families of those five brave soldiers of the army.
These soldiers sacrificed
The names of the soldiers who became victims of the accident are RIS MR K Reddy, DFR Bhupendra Negi, LD Akdum Tayyabam, Havildar A Khan (6255 FD Workshop), CFN Nagaraj P (LRW).
The Defense Minister expressed grief over the accident, said - The country is with the bereaved families in this hour of grief.
Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has expressed grief over the Ladakh accident. He said that the whole country stands with the bereaved families in this hour of grief.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, 'I am deeply saddened by the death of our five brave Indian Army soldiers in the unfortunate accident while crossing the river in Ladakh... My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. The nation stands with them in this hour of grief.'
Instead of three, 5 soldiers were seated in the T-72.
Usually, this tank has a commander, a gunner, and a driver. During the practice, 5 soldiers were riding it. The T-72 tank can cross rivers 5 meters (16.4 feet) deep. It crosses the river with the help of a small-diameter snorkel.
For emergencies, all the crew members on board are given rebreathers. If the engine of the tank stops underwater, it has to be restarted within 6 seconds. If this is not done, the engine of the T-72 gets filled with water due to low pressure.
T-72 is called Ajeya
The T-72 tank with which the soldiers were practicing is known as Ajeya in India. It was made in Russia in 1960 and was included in the Soviet Army in 1973. After Europe, India was the first country to buy this tank from Russia. The Indian Army has a total of 2400 units of three variants of the Ajeya tank.
This tank weighs around 45 tons, which generates 780 horsepower. It has been built to avoid nuclear, biological, and chemical attacks. It also has full explosive reactive armor. The tank is fitted with a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun, which fires 300 rounds at a time. It can accurately target an enemy sitting 1500 meters away.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed grief over the accident.
Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed grief over the accident. He wrote on the post, 'We are deeply saddened by the death of 5 brave Indian Army personnel including a JCO while crossing a river in Ladakh. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the military personnel who fell victim to this painful tragedy. We salute the brave soldiers for their exemplary service. The whole country is with the bereaved families in this hour of grief.'
Army Chief expressed grief over the sacrifice of brave soldiers.
Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pandey and officers of all ranks have expressed grief over the Ladakh accident. He said that he expressed heartfelt condolences on the death of five brave soldiers who lost their lives during a training activity. The Indian Army stands with the bereaved families in this hour of grief.
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