12 British soldiers injured in Estonia traffic pile-up

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Twelve British soldiers were injured in a major traffic accident in Estonia near the Russian border, UK media reported on Monday.

On Friday, the troops, part of NATO's presence in the country, were traveling in snowy conditions when a chain collision involving multiple vehicles occurred at an intersection around 5 p.m. local time.

The accident began when two civilian cars driven by Estonian nationals collided, which triggered the pile-up involving three army minibuses and another civilian car.

In total, 12 British soldiers and five civilians were injured.

Among the soldiers, eight were airlifted to the UK on Sunday for further treatment.

Five have since been discharged, while three remain under care at the Royal Centre for Defense Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

The soldiers are part of Operation Cabrit, the UK's contribution to NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence mission aimed at deterring potential aggression along the alliance's eastern flank.

Around 900 British troops are currently stationed in Estonia, including a unit equipped with Challenger 2 tanks.