5 Army men injured in Jalandhar mishap

Jalandhar, July 20

Five Army personnel were injured in a collision between an Army truck and a private truck loaded with onions on the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway near Suchi Pind today. The incident occurred around 6 am. Two soldiers sustained serious injuries in the accident.

Army truck was on routine monthly speed check

• As per officials at the military hospital, the Army truck involved in the accident belonged to 11 Corps Provost Unit
• The incident occurred around 6.30 am while a routine monthly speed check was being conducted

According to preliminary reports, both vehicles were headed towards Amritsar when the private truck rear-ended the Army truck near Suchi Pind. The driver of the Army truck lost control of the vehicle that crashed through the divider grills and overturned on the opposite side of the road. The private truck also crashed into the divider.

The Sadak Surakhya Force and officials from the Rama Mandi police station reached the spot and the injured soldiers were taken to a military hospital for treatment. The accident led to a four-hour-long traffic jam on the highway until the situation was restored and the damaged vehicles were towed away. According to the police, two injured are in a serious condition, while the other three have sustained minor injuries.

According to the CCTV footage of the incident, the Army truck was seen attempting to overtake the private truck travelling at a high speed. During the manoeuvre, the latter collided with the Army truck from the rear.

Rama Mandi SHO Gurpreet Singh said the private truck driver fled the spot immediately after the accident and the police were actively tracing his whereabouts. He said once the statements of the Army personnel were recorded, an FIR would be registered in the case. As per officials at the military hospital, the 2.5-tonne Army truck involved in the accident belonged to 11 Corps Provost Unit. The incident occurred around 6.30 am while a routine monthly speed check was being conducted.

Officials said the driver of the overloaded private truck, which was moving behind the Army vehicle, lost control on the wheel after a tyre burst and it collided with the military vehicle.

The impact caused the Army truck to veer onto the divider and overturn. As a result, one Junior Commissioned Officer and four soldiers sustained injuries. They were taken to a military hospital for treatment. Their condition is stated to be stable.