Tank crashes through ice - two soldiers killed

Two Norwegian soldiers died after their 55-tonne tank went through the ice of a frozen marsh during an exercise in the Arctic.

A military statement said the Leopard 2 tank, with four crew aboard, sank into the marsh when surface ice collapsed under it late yesterday. Two crew were rescued unharmed, one died at the scene and the second died later in hospital.

The names and ages of the victims, from Norway’s elite Telemark Battalion, were not immediately released.

The tank was participating in the Cold Response 2006 land, air and sea exercise in northern part of Nato-member Norway, with 10,000 troops from 11 nations.

The exercise is intended to train Nato and Partnership for Peace troops for operations in winter conditions.