The CM11 armoured vehicle carrying five soldiers had been returning to camp in southern Pingtung county around 10.30am after completing the firing test when it slipped from a bridge and fell upside down into the Wangsha River, the army said.
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It was suspected that the tank had a mechanical failure, and the heavy rain caused to river to swell and rapidly engulf the tank.
The driver reportedly said it lost its balance while trying to make a right turn as the left track got stuck while the right track operated normally.
The driver and tank captain survived.
Three of the four were found without vital signs and could not be resuscitated, according to the Defense Ministry.
The army initially said they were all killed but later revised the death toll to three as one soldier was revived after emergency treatment and was transferred to a military hospital in neighbouring Kaohsiung city.
After news of the incident emerged, Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) asked Gen. Yen De-fa (嚴德發), chief of the general staff, to lead a task force to travel to Pingtung to look into the incident and identify its exact cause.
Three Taiwanese soldiers were killed in an army drill a week before the annual Han Kuang military exercise aimed at preparing the island from any potential attack by the People’s Liberation Army of China.
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The drill was part of preparations for next week’s annual Han Kuang military exercise.
