Tank commander seriously hurt in training exercise
Army to launch inquiries into cause of accident on southern base; soldier hit by bullet shrapnel in separate incident
A junior commander in the Armored Corps was seriously injured when he was hit in the head by a tank’s turret during an exercise in southern Israel on Monday, the army said.
The soldier, 20, was seriously hurt during the training exercise on Monday night at the Shizafon army base in the Negev desert.
The army announced Tuesday that it would launch three separate investigations into the incident, led by a colonel, which would look into the cause of the accident, the treatment the soldier received, and the effectiveness of communication between trainees and instructors.
The unnamed soldier was struck in the head when the Merkava IV tank’s cannon reportedly recoiled for an as yet unknown reason when he climbed out of the vehicle to access its MAG machine gun.
The soldier was able to radio for help and received treatment on base before being flown by helicopter to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.
His family was immediately notified, the army said.
The condition of the soldier remained serious as of Tuesday afternoon. He was sedated and hooked up to a ventilator in the intensive care unit, the NRG news site reported.
The head of the IDF’s Ground Forces Command opened two investigations into that incident, an “investigation of experts,” led by the head of the command’s armored department, Col. Amitai Brinn, and an “operational investigation,” led by Col. Amir Epstein, head of the army’s Armored Corps school.
The Military Police’s also opened their own investigation into the incident, an army spokesperson said.
Additionally, all training exercises with the Merkava IV have been suspended until Epstein’s investigation is completed, the army said.
The Shizafon base, where the incident occurred and the soldier was stationed, is used for training soldiers and officers in the IDF’s armored brigades.
Earlier on Monday a soldier was lightly injured in the Mitkan Adam camp in the center of the country.
A bullet was reportedly accidentally discharged into the ground and the soldier was hit in the back by shrapnel.
He was treated at the scene and taken to Tel Hashomer Hospital. The circumstances are being investigated by the army.