Two Bangladesh army soldiers killed as Chinese-orign Type-59 tank explodes during live-fire exercise

Two Bangladeshi army soldiers were killed, and one was officially injured after a Chinese-origin Type-59 tank exploded during a live-fire exercise on Wednesday at the Hathazari Field Firing Range in Chattogram. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR), the incident was “surprising”, and they are investigating the possible causes behind it.

“The injured officer is being transferred by helicopter to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Dhaka for advanced medical treatment. Necessary measures are underway to investigate the cause of the accident,” said a post by the ISPR on Facebook.

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Type-59 tank

These tanks are of Chinese origin and are very old, structurally and conceptually. These date back to the Cold War era design and are derivative of the Soviet T-54A tank. China produced them between 1958 and 1985. The tank exploded during the firing exercise, though the real circumstances that led to the explosion are unknown. These armoured vehicles have formed part of the Bangladesh Army's armoured inventory for decades. Bangladesh relies on lifespan extension to keep them deployable.