New Delhi (AFP) - Sixteen soldiers were killed Friday in northeastern India when their truck crashed after it veered off a steep slope, the Indian army said.

A statement issued by the army stated that "an ambulance was dispatched immediately and evacuated four injured soldiers by air," with confirmation of the death of 3 officers and 13 soldiers who succumbed to their injuries after the accident.

The roads in Sikkim state, where the accident occurred, are among the highest and most dangerous in India, especially those along the isolated border with Tibet in the Himalayas.

Accidents involving army vehicles near the vast borders with China and Pakistan claim the lives of a large number of soldiers every year.