British soldiers shot in the Falkland Islands

The three soldiers were apparently hit by bullets during a platoon live firing exercise that took place on the 27th of October. All three soldiers were immediately given first aid on the scene and then quickly airlifted to the King Edward Memorial Hospital in Port Stanley with one of the soldiers, whose condition is described as "very serious" being medically evacuated by air to the Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham. The three soldiers are said to be serving with the 5th Batallion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, known as '5 Scots'. The MoD said that all next of kin had now been informed. The Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police are now investigating the incident with a view to discovering whether the soldiers were shot by accident or whether their shooting was deliberate. '5 Scots' is part of the 16 Air Assault Brigade, one of the Army's premier military units and they are based in Canterbury. The regiment has recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan. Roughly 100 soldiers are deployed to the Falklands for about four months at a time to provide security for the Falklands and protect them from a possible Argentinian invasion. The incident took place at the Onion Range, located in a large, remote area in East Falkland island and is regarded as one of the best ranges by the British Army. It's big enough to allow 30 soldiers to conduct mock attacks using automatic fire, hand grenades and anti-tank missiles. The Daily Telegraph wrote:

Live firing on all ranges used by the Army anywhere in the world should be tightly controlled and supervised by qualified range staff. Strict procedures and rules exist to prevent soldiers straying into each others line of fire.

"There is no such thing as a range accident – somebody is always at fault and it is not necessarily the person doing the shooting. Nothing is being ruled out at this stage but it does not appear to be a case of deliberate wounding." A senior official for the Army said.