Sikkim Road Accident: 16 Indian Army Jawans Killed As Vehicle Falls Into Gorge Near India-China Border
Sixteen Army jawans were killed and four others injured when their vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a gorge at a remote location in North Sikkim near the India-China border on Friday.
BaluSingh Rajpurohit 
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.
Anguished to learn about the loss of lives of brave soldiers of Indian Army in a road accident in Sikkim. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) December 23, 2022
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: PM @narendramodi — PMO India (@PMOIndia) December 23, 2022
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.
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. — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 23, 2022
सिक्किम में एक सड़क दुर्घटना में सेना के जवानों का निधन अत्यंत दु:खद व पीड़ादायक है।
भारत के वीर सपूतों को विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि! मेरी संवेदनाएं शोकाकुल परिजनों के साथ हैं।
परमपिता परमेश्वर दिवंगत आत्माओं को अपने श्री चरणों में स्थान तथा घायलों को शीघ्र स्वास्थ्य लाभ प्रदान करें। — Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) December 23, 2022
Shocked to hear the news of the tragic road accident in Zema, Sikkim, which has cost us the lives of 16 brave Army personnel.
My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. Wishing a speedy recovery to those injured. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 23, 2022
“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)
