Jalandhar (Punjab): Four soldiers were killed Tuesday evening after an Army truck caught fire following an explosion in Jalandhar cantonment in Punjab.
The victims belonged to the motor vehicle section of an artillery unit (20 SATA Battery) based at the headquarters of the 11 Corps of the Army based here.
Ruling out any sabotage, Army officials said the soldiers were unloading some equipment when the explosion took place in Jalandhar cantonment, some 150 km from here. Police sources, however, said sabotage could not be entirely ruled out.
Army authorities have cordoned off the entire cantonment area. Army sources said that a bomb disposal squad was searching the area where the explosion took place.
Army spokesman Naresh Vig said here that the incident took place when the battery of the under maintenance 5-tonne Army truck exploded suddenly.
All four soldiers died on the spot as the vehicle caught fire.
Army authorities instituted an inquiry into the incident even as rumours flew that a terror strike had taken place in the cantonment.
The 11 Corps headquartered here is frontier unit of the army looking after the western frontier of India with Pakistan. It is under the Western Command.
IANS
First Published: Wednesday, December 02, 2009, 09:47