4 Romanian Soldiers Injured in Iraq

[Kev in Deva]

Four Romanian troops in Iraq injured in car accident

The four suffered minor injuries and were in stable condition yesterday. One of the soldiers was transported to an American base in Germany for further medical tests.

published in issue 3912 page 1 at 2007-04-16:

http://www.nineoclock.ro/index.php?page=de...d=20070415-6678

The Romanian troops were injured while on a patrol mission in Iraq on Saturday when their armoured vehicle skidded off the road and overturned, a press release from the Defence Ministry shows, quoted by Rompres.

The four, Sergeant Victor Cornel Giuseppi Petrila , Sergeant Alexandru Toma Petre, Corporal Iacob Valentin Musca and Dan Daniel Porumb were transported immediately after the accident to a hospital in Camp Adder, the American base in Tallil.

At the time of the accident, the Romanian patrol was about 25 kilometres northwest of Tallil. First aid to the four was given by an American medical evacuation team, which also helped the four reach the hospital.

Yesterday, the four were in stable condition. In the morning, Porumb was transported on board an airplane of the multinational coalition to the US Ramstein base in Germany, where he is to undergo further tests on his spine in the base?s Landsthul Hospital.

The other three Romanians injured in the accident were taken to the US troops? Ballad Hospital, close to Baghdad.

Petrila, who suffered only minor concussions, was released from hospital yesterday morning and returned to the Romanian camp. Petre, who has a fractured shoulder and Musca, who suffered a mild chest trauma, will remain in hospital under medical surveillance a few more days and are expected to return to base later this week.

A special commission led by the deputy Commander of the Romanian 495 Infantry Battalion is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, in order to establish whether it was caused by a technical malfunction or was a case of human error, the press release from the Defence Ministry shows. The four troops injured in the incident had been in Iraq since February.

Defence Minister Teodor Melescanu talked about the accident with the leadership of the Romanian battalion deployed in Tallil and was assured that all the troops who were injured receive the best and most competent medical care, the release says.

On Saturday evening, President Traian Basescu also inquired about the health condition of the four soldiers, Presidential Spokesman Valeriu Turcan said. The Head of State was informed by Army Chief of Staff Gheorghe Marin that the four were in stable condition and outside any danger.

Yesterday, Basescu told reporters that the inquiry will establish whether the accident was a case of human error or a technical malfunction. He suggested that the accident occurred in low visibility conditions because of the dust and underlined that the troops were not under any attack by Iraqi insurgents.

by Alecs Iancu.

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From the same issue:

(Romanian) Defence Minister meets US, UK Ambassadors.

published in issue 3912 page 5 at 2007-04-16.

http://www.nineoclock.ro/index.php?page=de...d=20070416-6679

Minister of Defence Teodor Melescanu Thursday and Friday met with the Ambassadors of the United States of America and United Kingdom, Nicholas Taubman and Robin Barnett, respectively, with whom he discussed, among others, the restructuring of the Romanian presence in theatres of operation.

In this context, Defence Minister Teodor Melescanu reiterated that the process will take place in full compliance with the commitments undertaken by Romania with its allies and on the basis of a calendar agreed with them, reads a news release issued by the Ministry.

During the two meetings, Minister Teodor Melescanu and the diplomats also tackled aspects of common interests, related to the bilateral Romanian-American and Romanian-British cooperation at a military level.

by Rompres.

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Kevin in Deva

Edited April 16, 2007 by Kev in Deva

[Kev in Deva]

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

One of the Romanian soldiers injured in Iraq - in critical condition.

He will undergo surgery in the American hospital on the base in Germany in the coming days.

Published in issue 3914 page 6 at 2007-04-18:

http://www.nineoclock.ro/index.php?page=de...d=20070417-6695

Dan Daniel Porumb, one of the Romanians soldiers who were injured in an accident in Iraq, on Saturday, is in critical condition. He is now in the Landstudl Hospital of the Ramstein US Base in Germany and will be operated upon in the coming few days, according to a communiqu? of the National Defence Ministry (MoD).

The Romanian military was diagnosed with ?cervical vertebral column trauma, C5-C6 dislocation and tatraplegia?. According to the quoted source, the man is now stable, but in critical condition. The patient received the visit of Defence Minister Teodor Melescanu, of his mother and of the head of the Neurosurgery Ward of the Military Emergency Hospital, on Monday night.

Four Romanian soldiers from Battalion 495 Infantry were injured in an accident during a patrol mission in the Dhi Qar region of Iraq, last Saturday. The mission comprised six Romanians in an armoured personnel carrier that drove off the road and tipped over, appreciatively 25 km north of Tallil.

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Kevin in Deva