Accidental blast at Israeli military base kills a soldier

The accidental grenade explosion at Jordan Valley base in Israel kills a soldier and leaves another three servicemen wounded.

As The Times of Israel reported, citing the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), the incident took place on the night of January 14 to 15 at a military training base, the IDF said.

The soldier — who was not immediately named — was declared dead at the scene following resuscitation efforts.

According to the IDF report, the other three wounded soldiers were taken to hospitals for treatment. One was listed in serious condition, and the other two were described as having minor injuries from the grenade blast.

Initially, the IDF prohibited to report the deadly incident until the families of the soldiers were notified.

Military Police launched an investigation into the incident, the findings of which will be given to military prosecutors to determine if criminal charges are warranted.

According to an initial probe, one soldier brought a grenade he found during a training exercise back to the base and kept it in his bag — in an apparent violation of IDF protocol — where it later exploded.

It was unclear what exactly had set off the munition, but the probe suggested it may have happened after the bag was moved.