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

New Delhi, Sep 5 : Four Army personnel, on their way from their unit in Bengal to Sikkim, in a road accident in the latter's Pakyong district on Thursday, officials said.

The accident occurred when the vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge on the Rhenock Rongli state highway, popularly termed the Silk Route.

The Army's Eastern Command, consoling the deaths of its personnel, identified them as Subedar K Thangapandi, Naik Gursev Singh, craftsman W. Peter Singh and Sepoy Pradeep Patel.

"Lt Gen RC Tiwari, #ArmyCdrEC & 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," it said in a post on X.

Congress leaders 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 saddening. I pay my tributes to the martyred soldiers and extend deep condolences to their grief-stricken families. The nation will be forever indebted to their service and sacrifice," Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said in a post in Hindi on X.

Congress General Priyanka Gandhi also took to X to express her deep sadness over the death of four soldiers when their vehicle fell into a gorge.

"May god grant peace to the departed souls. I extend my deepest condolences to the grieving families. Our nation will always be in the debt of the martyrs and their families," she said in her post in Hindi.