ALBAWABA- At least 10 Indian Army personnel were killed and another 10 injured when their vehicle plunged into a 200-foot-deep gorge in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.
The accident occurred at Khanni Top, a high-altitude area approximately 9,000 feet above sea level on the Bhaderwah-Chamba interstate road.
The bulletproof Casspir vehicle, carrying 21 soldiers en route to a high-altitude operational post, reportedly skidded off the treacherous mountain road amid adverse weather and challenging terrain. Rescue teams swiftly responded, airlifting the injured to military hospitals for treatment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed profound grief over the incident on X, honoring the soldiers’ service and pledging full support to their families. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other officials echoed condolences, highlighting the risks faced by troops stationed in remote and rugged border regions.
Meanwhile, another transportation incident occurred in Jharkhand when the Gonda–Asansol Express collided with a rice-laden truck at the Rohini–Nawadih railway level crossing on the Jasidih–Madhupur section of Eastern Railway in Deoghar district.
The accident took place on Thursday morning, as the train traveled from Jasidih toward Madhupur. Preliminary reports indicate that the truck, became stuck on the tracks, possibly due to a gate malfunction or heavy road congestion, preventing it from clearing the crossing despite lowered barriers and repeated horn warnings from the train.
The locomotive applied emergency brakes but could not avoid impact, resulting in substantial damage to the truck and the front of the engine, while rice spilled across the tracks.
Fortunately, no fatalities were reported among passengers or train crew; however, two motorcyclists sustained serious injuries when their vehicles were struck by the out-of-control truck after the collision. The incident temporarily disrupted train operations in both directions, with restoration efforts relying on cranes and heavy equipment to remove debris.
Railway authorities have launched a formal investigation to determine whether the cause stemmed from mechanical failure at the crossing, human error, or driver negligence
