By Xinhua,
Canberra : An Australian soldier in Afghanistan was seriously hurt while trying to extinguish a vehicle fire, Australian defense spokesperson Brigadier Andrew Nikolic said here on Wednesday.
The injured soldier received immediate medical assistance at the incident site near the Australian base at Tarin Kowt in Oruzgan Province on Tuesday.
He was then airlifted to a nearby International Security Assistance Force hospital where he remains in a serious condition. The soldier was a member of the Reconstruction Task Force and his family has been notified.
“He is being provided with the best possible medical care and our thoughts are with the soldier and his family at this time,” Nikolic said in a statement.
Nikolic said the fire was believed to have started accidentally and was not caused by Taliban extremist action and the specific cause of the fire was under investigation.