The victims, identified as Nitesh (32) of Tarna Hill, Thanehra Mohalla, and Mahendra Kumar of Khabu, Balh, were travelling to their friend’s wedding in Bregan when their car plunged nearly 600 metres into a deep gorge.
According to police, the accident occurred around 8.15 pm near Darlog. Another vehicle headed for the same wedding realised something was wrong when the youths’ car disappeared from behind. Calls went unanswered until a woman picked up the phone and informed them that the car had fallen into the gorge and she had found the mobile on the roadside.
Their friends rushed back and discovered the car mangled beyond recognition, with both soldiers lying dead outside the vehicle.
Police have registered a case of rash and negligent driving against the driver. The incident has cast a pall of grief over the region, with locals mourning the loss of two young Army men.
