5 Indian Army soldiers killed in Ladakh during military exercise

Five Indian Army personnel have been killed in Ladakh in a mishap while crossing a river.

The soldiers were killed on Friday when their tank was crossing a river in the Daulat Beg Oldie area, said defence officials to ANI.

The officials said the mishap occurred due to the sudden rise of water level in the river.

A mishap took place in the Daulat Beg Oldie area of Ladakh during a tank exercise of crossing the river yesterday in the sector due to a sudden increase in water levels there. Loss of lives of Army personnel is feared. More details are awaited: Defence officials pic.twitter.com/my7pYEvWP8

— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2024

ANI further said that the deceased included four jawans and a junior commissioned officer (JCOs). It added all five bodies have been recovered.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condoled the deaths and confirmed the incidents.

“Deeply saddened at the loss of lives of five of our brave Indian Army soldiers in an unfortunate accident while getting the tank across a river in Ladakh,” said Singh.

He further said, “We will never forget exemplary service of our gallant soldiers to the nation. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. The nation stands firm with them during this hour of grief.”

Deeply saddened at the loss of lives of five of our brave Indian Army soldiers in an unfortunate accident while getting the tank across a river in Ladakh.

We will never forget exemplary service of our gallant soldiers to the nation. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved…

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 29, 2024

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Ladakh is a region of great strategic value that shares border with Chinese-occupied Tibet. While Indian military has always been deployed in the region, the deployment has multiplied greatly since 2020 when the ongoing India-China military stand-off in the region began within unprovoked Chinese incursions and attacks. The stand-off, particularly the incident in Galwan Valley in 2020 in which Chinese soldiers killed at least 20 Indian soldiers, has driven the India-China relationship to its lowest point since 1962 when the two nations fought a war.