Uttar Pradesh: Two Army personnel killed in field firing exercise in Babina

LUCKNOW: Two personnel of the Indian Army including a JCO (junior commissioned officer), were killed and another was critically injured on Thursday evening at around 7 pm after the barrel of a T-90 tank burst during a field exercise at field firing range in Babina in Jhansi district in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.

The mishap took place at point number 6 A during an annual exercise that had been underway since October 1 by the 55 Armoured Cor Regiment. 

“During the Annual Firing at Babina Field Firing Ranges on Oct 6, 2022, a tank barrel burst took place. The tank was manned by a crew of three personnel. The crew was provided immediate medical aid and evacuated to Military Hospital Babina,” said an official statement issued by the authorities concerned of Defence Ministry on Friday.

The statement said the commander and gunner of T-90 Bhishma tank succumbed to their injuries, adding that the driver, who got injured in the mishap was out of danger and undergoing treatment.

The two Army personnel who lost their life in the accident were identified as Naib Subedar Sumer Singh Bagaria of Rajasthan who was commanding the tank and Sukanta Mondal of West Bengal, who was the gunner while the injured driver of the tank was identified as Lance Dafadar Pradeep Singh Yadav of Sant Kabir Nagar district UP.

Claiming that a Court of Inquiry was ordered into the incident to ascertain the reasons for the accident, the army authorities expressed its grief and condolence to the bereaved families of the two personnel who lost their life in the tank burst.