An Israeli military source reported that one soldier was killed, three injured on Monday, when a tank overturned during a routine training exercise near the Dead Sea.
The killed soldier was identified as Major Ran Handifar, 22, a resident of Tel Aviv.
Handifar, the tank commander, was seriously injured and died on the scene as first aid was being administered; “his upper body was partially outside of the tank when the accident took placeâ€Â, an Israeli source reported.
The three injured soldiers were airlifted by a helicopter to hospital in Jerusalem. One soldier is in a moderate condition; while the two other soldiers received first aid on the scene and were released to their homes.
A senior military official said that the tank flipped twice for an unknown reason, and added that this accident could have occurred as a result of a human error.
The tank which flipped over is a Merkava Siman 4, which is one of the latest Israeli made tanks.
