A British soldier drowned in a river after a night out in Estonia.
Israel Delanimati, 24, of the 3rd Battalion The Rifles, fell into the Emajõgi River in the southern city of Tartu on Saturday.
His friends raised the alarm when Mr. Delanimati, originally from Fiji, failed to return to a hotel where he was staying.
The gunman had been deployed to Estonia during Operation Cabrit at the time of his death.
Local media reported that Mr Delanimati was caught on CCTV walking along the river at around 3:40 am and bystanders tried to rescue him before his body was recovered.
An investigation is now underway into the circumstances surrounding the 24-year-old’s death.
The ‘immense grief’ of the army
According to the Times, the soldier recently separated from his long-term girlfriend. The army said the gunman’s family has been notified and his funeral is expected to take place in Fiji.
In a statement, the Defense Ministry confirmed the soldier’s death during a period of “operational standoff”.
“It is with great sadness that we confirm the death of a British soldier from 3rd Battalion The Rifles during Operation Cabrit in Estonia.
“He died after an incident in Tartu on June 3 during a period of operational standstill. The circumstances surrounding the death are being investigated. The soldier’s next of kin have been informed.”
A tweet from the British Army Support Officer – Fiji read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Rifleman Israel “Kinah” Delanimati of 3rd Battalion The Rifles. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time. ”
Operation Cabrit
The British Army has about 900 troops stationed in Estonia, where the UK is leading a NATO deployment that includes French and Danish soldiers.
The deployment, codenamed Operation Cabrit, is part of NATO’s “reinforced forward presence”, supporting forces in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
Last month, a naval soldier was found dead after a night out in Stockholm. The man was reportedly on a night out in the capital with a colleague before ending up at a house in Solna, north of the capital, where he was found dead.
At the time of his death, the 25-year-old soldier was in Sweden conducting military exercises aboard HMS Albion for the Aurora 23 defense exercise.
(TagsToTranslate)British Army
