Three soldiers were killed on Sunday after an army vehicle plunged into a 700-foot-deep gorge the Ramban area of Jammu and Kashmir. The army truck was part of a convoy moving from Jammu to Srinagar along national highway 44 when the accident occurred near Battery Chashma at around 11.30 am. Efforts are underway to retrieve the bodies.
“Driver of an Army vehicle, which was part of a convoy, lost control of the vehicle, and it rolled down a gorge about 500 metres below. Three people were in the vehicle…Unfortunately, all three of them died. Police team, QRT, Army, CRPF teams reached the spot and are carrying out the operation. We are trying to retrieve the bodies and bring them up,” said Ramban SSP Kulbir Singh.
The official said they had found a nutbolt while inspecting the site — “which could probably have come from the steering wheels”. Authorities surmise that the driver likely lost control of the steering wheel due to that nutbolt. An investigation has also been launched to determine the exact circumstances.