Five soldiers killed as vehicle catches fire after attacked by militants in J&K’s Poonch

Five army soldiers were charred to death when their vehicle caught fire in Bhimber Gali area of border Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir after it was attacked by unidentified militants with grenades.

A defence spokesperson said taking advantage of heavy rains and low visibility in the area, terrorists fired at an army vehicle at approximately 1500 hours when it was moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajauri sector.

“The vehicle caught fire, due to likely use of grenades by terrorists. Five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles Unit deployed for Counter Terrorist operations, in this area, have unfortunately lost their lives in the incident,” he said in a statement.

Another seriously injured soldier was evacuated immediately to the Army hospital at Rajauri and is under treatment, the spokesperson said. Operations are in progress to locate the perpetrators and further details are being ascertained.

Sources said the kerosene-carrying vehicle caught fire after it got hit by grenades at a time when it was raining heavily along with a thunderstorm.