British soldiers had to be airlifted home after a ‘six-car pile-up’ in Estonia left 17 people injured – while three troops remained in hospital.
The blow took place last Friday on the Tallin-Narva highway near the border with Russia.
Three army minibuses are believed to have been involved, and 17 people – including the 12 British troops – were taken to hospital.
According to local mediaThe crash occurred after a 37-year-old woman driving a Volvo S80 made a left turn and collided with a BMW 530D driven by a 62-year-old woman.
This would have caused a ‘chain reaction’, with four other vehicles colliding with each other.
The minibuses would have transported the soldiers to their base in Tapa.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and ambulances took the troops, as well as five others, to hospital.
The British soldiers were deployed as part of a special NATO mission designed to deter attacks from Russia.
The blow is said to have occurred in the middle of a snowstorm, just 32 kilometers from the border with Russia.
A Ministry of Defense spokesperson said: ‘Several British soldiers deployed on Operation CABRIT in Estonia were injured in a road incident last Friday.
Twelve British troops were involved in a clash on Friday evening on the Tallin-Narva highway, near the border with Russia.
After hospital treatment in Estonia, eight personnel were flown back to Britain on an RAF C-17 for further treatment
British armored vehicles prepare to depart for Tapa Military Camp in Estonia, Thursday January 19, 2023
‘After treatment at a hospital in Estonia, eight personnel were flown back to Britain on an RAF C-17 for further treatment.
‘Five have now been discharged and three are being cared for at the Royal Center for Defense Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. We wish them all a speedy recovery.”
The news comes as around 900 British troops have been deployed as part of Operation Carbit, along with Danish, French and Estonian forces.
Britain also has Challenger 2 tanks, multiple rocket systems, mobile heavy artillery guns and armored infantry units.
Individual injuries and medical details of the personnel involved in the minibus accident have not been released by the Ministry of Defense.