Four soldiers die in road accident in Sikkim, Rahul and Priyanka express their grief

New Delhi, September 5 (IANS): Four Army personnel were involved in a road accident in Sikkim's Pakyong district on Thursday while on their way to Sikkim from their unit in Bengal, officials said.

The accident occurred when the vehicle went off the road and fell into a deep ravine on the Rhenock Rongli State Highway, popularly known as the Silk Road.

The Army's Eastern Command identified the fatalities as Subedar K Thangapandi, Naik Gursev Singh, craftsman W. Peter Singh and Sepoy Pradeep Patel.

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“Lt Gen RC Tiwari, #ArmyCdrEC and all ranks express deepest condolences on the sad demise of Subedar K Thangapandi, Naik Gursev Singh, Craftsman W Peter Singh and Sepoy Pradeep Patel in the line of duty in #Sikkim. Indian Army stands firmly with the bereaved families,” a post on X said.

Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed their grief over the incident and paid tributes to the deceased soldiers.

“The news of the martyrdom of four soldiers of our Army in a road accident in Sikkim is extremely sad. I pay my tributes to the martyrs and convey my deepest condolences to their bereaved families. The nation will forever be indebted to them for their service and sacrifice,” Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said in a Hindi post on X.

Congress General Priyanka Gandhi also expressed her deep sadness on X over the death of four soldiers when their vehicle plunged into a ravine.

“May God grant peace to the souls of the departed. I convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. Our nation will always be indebted to the martyrs and their families,” she said in her post in Hindi.