CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Sunday condoled the death of soldiers when their vehicle skidded off the road near Ladakh on Saturday.

"Deeply pained to learn about the loss of lives of our brave soldiers in an unfortunate road accident in Ladakh. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured, " the Governor said in a tweet.

A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and eight soldiers lost their lives while a colleague suffered grave injuries when their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge near Kiari in southern Ladakh's Nyoma region on Saturday.

A rescue operation was initiated promptly following the accident.

Eight soldiers were found dead, and two others were injured.

They were shifted to an Army medical facility, where one of the injured died.

The other injured soldier is undergoing treatment and his condition is stated to be critical.