A soldier from the IDF Kfir Brigade was killed and three of his comrades were injured when a grenade exploded in their room at the base, the IDF said Sunday. Cpl. Dennis Zinobayev, 18, from Petah Tikva died in the accident.
Zinobayev found the grenade during a training exercise, the IDF said. One of the injured soldiers was in serious condition, and the other two were in good condition, it said.
Zinobayev was promoted from private to corporal posthumously, the IDF said.
At around midnight, an explosion was heard from one of the residential buildings on base. Seven soldiers were present at the time of the explosion, according to an initial investigation.
The IDF suspects the grenade was not being played with but detonated when the bag it was in fell on the floor. It believes the grenade was taken against regulations at some point on Friday.
The rules would have obligated Zinobayev to report the grenade to his commanders while in the field and not to touch it, let alone to bring it back to the base or to a residential area within the base.
After the explosion, medical personnel came to the room to provide assistance. Within minutes, Zinobayev was declared dead. The other three soldiers were evacuated to a hospital by helicopter after receiving initial medical care on-site.