Ladakh: Army pays homage to jawans killed in accident

Leh (Ladakh) [India]: A solemn wreath-laying ceremony was organised here to pay homage to the bravehearts who died in the line of duty in Leh district on Saturday, the Army said.

An army officer and eight soldiers were killed after an army truck veered off the road and plunged into a gorge near Kiari in Leh on Saturday evening.

“In a solemn wreath-laying ceremony, Fire and Fury Corps Commander and all ranks paid homage with full military honours to the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice, in the line of duty, in Ladakh on 19 August,” the Leh-based 14 Corps, also known as the Fire and Fury Corps, said on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter).

The troops were moving from Karu garrison to Kyari near Leh, an army officer has said earlier.

Army chief General Manoj Pande on behalf of all ranks expressed grief on the loss of lives in the tragic accident.

A post on the Indian Army official handle on ‘X’ read, “General Manoj Pande #COAS and All Ranks of #IndianArmy express profound grief on the loss of nine #Bravehearts in a tragic and unfortunate road accident in #Ladakh and extend deepest condolences to the bereaved families.”

President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had condoled the loss of javans in the accident.