Two Army personnel killed in Arunachal as road caves

Itanagar: Two Army personnel were killed and another went missing when a vehicle of the Madras Regiment skidded off the road and fell into the Kundil River in Lower Dibang Valley district early today, official sources said. Four other officers also sustained minor injuries in the accident, they said.

The vehicle, with 18 personnel on board, was patrolling the Iduli village area of the district, near China border, around 2.30 am when the road suddenly caved in, Lower Dibang Valley Deputy Commissioner Mitali Namchoom said.

The driver lost control on the wheel and the car fell into the river, she said, adding that the area is prone to landslides. The district administration, along with police and Army officers, is undertaking rescue operations, Namchoom said, adding that two bodies have been retrieved so far while the third is still missing.

“The bodies have been sent to the hospital and search is on for the missing personnel,” she said. The NDRF battalion, stationed at Changlang district, has left for the accident site.