An army captain and a junior commissioned officer were killed in an accidental grenade blast in the Mendhar sector on the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu on Sunday night.

The fresh non-combat killings in the district came only two days after an army soldier killed a colleague and injured two more before shooting himself dead in Surankote sector.

Defence spokesman Jammu Lt Colonel Devender Anand said the “accidental grenade blast” occurred when soldiers were performing their duties along the LoC in Mendhar.

The army identified the slain as Captain Anand Singh from Bhagalpur district of Bihar and Naib Subedar Bhagwan Singh from Ambedkar Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.

“The grenade blast resulted in injuries to soldiers who were immediately evacuated by helicopter to the Command Hospital Udhampur. During the treatment, Captain Anand and Naib Subedar Bhagwan Singh succumbed to their injuries,” the spokesman said, without giving details about more injured.

A police officer in Poonch said five more soldiers were injured and they are being treated at the Udhampur Command Hospital.

“The place where the blast took place falls close to the border (LoC),” the officer said.

Army has paid tributes to the soldiers.

On Friday, an army soldier from 156 Territorial Army had opened fire at his colleagues inside his camp, killing a soldier and injuring two more. The soldier later shot himself dead.

Separately, militants killed a CRPF Assistant Sub-Inspector in an attack on a joint checkpoint in Pulwama district of South Kashmir on Sunday.