A Nepal Army soldier died on Friday afternoon after an accidental shooting at a security post inside Chitwan National Park, according to officials.

The incident occurred at around 9am at the Naya Gokh Battalion post located in the Setidevi Community Forest in ward 18 of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, said Ganesh Pant, the park’s chief conservation officer.

The soldier, Chandra Kishor Das Tharu, sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh and was rushed to Chitwan Medical College in Bharatpur, where he died during treatment at around 4pm, the Nepal Army confirmed.

Army Spokesperson Gaurav Kumar KC said the weapon discharged accidentally while the soldier was unloading the magazine after returning from patrol duty.