A grenade training killed two soldiers and injured eight on April 11 near the Tavan Tolgoi military training center.
“During a combat training, a grenade exploded at 5:40 p.m. and killed two soldiers, First Sergeant B.Munkhshagai and Captain B.Ariunbold, and left eight wounded. We extend our most sincere condolences to families and relatives of the two soldiers on behalf of the Mongolian Armed Forces,” said Major General J.Badambazar, the Deputy Chairman of the General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces.
Major General J.Badambazar gives statement on the grenade accident on April 12[/caption]
The tragic event was the first time an accident caused deaths during a military training in Mongolia. The army took immediate action and assigned a group to investigate the cause of the accident and another group to take the wounded to the Central Military Hospital in Ulaanbaatar.
“Combat exercises and tests are regularly conducted in spring and fall. Officers are obliged to participate as per schedule. The headquarter is prepared to take responsibility if necessary, based on the pending results of investigations. Two working groups, appointed by the Mongolian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense, are investigating the cause of the accident,” Major General J.Badambazar said.
30-year-old B.Mungunshagai and 24-year-old B.Ariunbold were skilled military officers who completed peacekeeping missions in South Sudan. They were both fathers. Captain B.Munkhshagai was reportedly leading the combat training.
Officers who were injured were aged between 22 and 28. Two officers received emergency operation due to the severity of their injuries.
On April 12, three officers, O.Uuganbayar, L.Ochirbat, and J.Badnaanyambuu, were discharged from the hospital. Three officers, namely B.Tsendsuren, P.Purevjav, and T.Ankhbayar, suffered serious psychological shock and trauma, but they were released from care on April 13 at 11:00 a.m. The two military officers who underwent surgeries are receiving intensive care treatment and doctors assured that their conditions have stabilized.
