The wreath-laying ceremony on the mortal remains of the 16 Indian Army soldiers who lost their lives in a road accident in Sikkim was held at Bagdogra Airport in West Bengal on Saturday.

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang laid wreaths and paid his respects to the 16 army personnel.

Taking to twitter, PS Tamang said, “I join the nation in mourning this sorrowful loss and once again, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, relatives and friends. May God bestow eternal peace to the brave souls.”

It may be mentioned that, an army vehicle fell off a cliff into a deep ditch killing 16 jawans in it in North Sikkim on Friday.

The incident took place at Jema hills, a remote area about 15 kilometers from Lachen town in Sikkim.

The vehicle that fell into the ditch was reportedly part of a three-vehicle convoy that was coming from Chatten and was headed to Thangu. The incident happened as it was trying to negotiate a sharp turn.