Two Hungarian Troops Killed in Baghlan Road Accident

The HUN PRT’s convoy of five vehicles was carrying out a logistic transport mission and was on its way from Mazar-e Sharif to Pol-e Khomri, when an Afghan vehicle turned onto the main road from a secondary road, the Defence Minister said. The convoy began to overtake the vehicle.

While overtaking, the third vehicle in the convoy had an accident when the driver – for reasons still unclear – swerved to the left. The special armored M-RAP MaxxPro (mine resistant ambush protected) vehicle hit the left shoulder, lost balance, and overturned.

Altogether, there were six soldiers travelling in the vehicle. One of them, Lance Sergeant András Dálnoki, the turret gunner lost his life at the scene of the accident, while Sergeant Orsolya Róth sustained fatal injuries and died after being taken to hospital. The driver, Lance Sergeant Tamás Scheibli is in critical condition. One person was seriously, but not critically wounded, and two soldiers sustained minor injuries. In the accident, the turret of the M-RAP MaxxPro was torn off, and its wheels broke.

Defence Minister Dr. Csaba Hende said that following the accident, an ambulance helicopter arrived very quickly on the scene and airlifted the wounded troops without delay to the German ISAF military field hospital in Mazar-e Sharif. The German Military Police and the Afghan National Police have already launched an investigation into the circumstances of the event.

The Hungarian Defence Forces have notified the families of the deceased and the wounded soldiers. One of the victims was in a relationship and the other lived with the parents. Neither of them had children. The Defence

Minister, the Chief of Defence and the commander of the HDF Joint Force Command offered their condolences to the families of the fallen service members. Csaba Hende also informed the President of the Republic of Hungary, the Prime Minister, the Chairman of the Defence and Law Enforcement Committee of the National Assembly, as well as the leaders of the parliamentary groups representing the parties.

At the press conference, the Defence Minister said that since the soldiers lost their lives in an operational area, in the line of duty, they have been declared war heroes. The funerary committee has been set up; arrangements for the funerals and transport of the dead will be made at a later point. Decision on transporting the injured troops back to Hungary will be made in view of their condition – this was how Csaba Hende answered a question from the press. The Minister added that in the afternoon hours, he held a videoconference with the deputy commander of the Hungarian contingent in Baghlan Province, who told him that his troops were shocked by the news of the tragedy but they received it with dignity.

The Minister also told the press that based on our knowledge about the circumstances, there is no sign of an external attack, and the event seems to have been a road accident. The Hungarian drivers had already been properly trained for this type of vehicle when they received them from the US Army for use. Csaba Hende added that due to its height, the M-RAP MaxxPro is indeed easier to overturn than the HMMWV. At the same time, these are the safest vehicles used by the troops, as regards their protection against IEDs. The Minister told the press that no decision has been taken as yet concerning the replacement of the deceased troops of the HDF contingent in Baghlan.

 

Photo: László Tóth and HDF Archives