A truck of the Indian army went off NH10 and fell into the Teesta river on Saturday morning.

The driver went missing while another armyman in the vehicle managed to jump off in time. The army and the Kalimpong district administration are searching for the driver.

Sources said the truck was moving along NH10 towards Sevoke from Gangtok when the accident occurred near Geilkhola, located around 48km from here, around 11.30am.

“The truck on operational duty suddenly skidded off the road. The person managed to jump out of the vehicle and got injured. He is under treatment at the military hospital. The driver, however, plunged into the water with the vehicle. A probe has been initiated to ascertain the cause of the accident,” said a source.

As the news spread, army officers reached the spot. Till the reports last came in, divers from the army and civil administration, as well as the local rafters, are trying to trace the driver.