NEW DELHI (AP) — Five Indian soldiers were killed when a military tank they were riding in sank while crossing a river in the remote Ladakh region bordering China, officials said Saturday.
The tank sank early on Saturday due to the sudden rise in the water level of the Shyok River during a military training activity, according to a statement from the Indian Army Command Center. It said the accident took place in Saser Brangsa, near the Line of Actual Control separating India and China in the Ladakh region.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called it an “unfortunate accident.”
“We will never forget the exemplary service of our brave soldiers to the nation. My sincere condolences to the bereaved families. The nation stands with them in this hour of grief,” Singh wrote on social platform X.
The Indian and Chinese armies have been locked in conflict in Ladakh since May 2020, when they clashed on the land border in the region, killing 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
The skirmish turned into a prolonged standoff in the rugged mountainous region, where each side has tens of thousands of troops stationed. New Delhi and Beijing have held a series of diplomatic and military talks to resolve their worst military conflict in decades.
The border dispute between India and China dates back to the 1950s. In 1962, the two sides fought a war over it.
