Made-in-China tank explodes during live-fire drill: Two dead, officer airlifted to Dhaka in critical condition | VIDEO

Two Bangladesh Army soldiers died and an officer was critically injured after a Chinese-designed Type 59 tank exploded during a firing exercise in Chittagong.

Two Bangladesh Army men were killed instantly, while a senior officer suffered critical injuries due to an explosion involving the Chinese-made Type 59 tank during a live-fire exercise in Chittagong. The devastating explosion took place in Hathazari Field Firing Range, prompting an urgent search and rescue operation and raising questions over the safety of military equipment.

As per the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) directorate, there was a catastrophic breakdown of the vehicle amid the drill, as evidenced by the shocking footage circulating online.

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Key information about the Hathazari field firing range explosion

A series of pictures taken from social media reveals the explosion of the armored vehicle due to a sudden blast during live combat exercises.

Fatality toll: Two army men onboard the armoured vehicle breathed their last at the spot, while others tried their best to rescue the victims.

Critical rescue: The injured officer was stabilising at the site and then airlifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka.

ISPR clarification: Military representatives confirmed that the incident took place only in the context of the planned live-fire drills at the Hathazari range.

Profile of the type 59 tank and current investigations

There have been extensive technical investigations conducted by the military to establish the cause of the catastrophe, which was either a failure in the machinery or faulty ammunition.

Sources of equipment: This particular tank belongs to the Type 59 category and is a battle tank originally designed in China and used in armoured battalions in the Bangladesh Army.

Current status of investigation: There are ongoing technical assessments and investigations involving logs, maintenance records, and the internal structural components of the equipment in an attempt to determine the root cause of the explosion.

Absence of initial findings: At present, no clear findings are available about whether there was a fault in the machinery or in the ammunition that exploded.

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