Five Indian Army soldiers reportedly drowned as their T-72 tank capsized while they were trying to cross a river near LAC in Nyoma-Chushul of Ladakh early Saturday morning, the officers said on condition of anonymity.

It happened near Mandir Morh, about 148 km from the headquarters of the zone, when the accident occurred during an everyday task at 1 am. Authorities said that the tank sought to ford the river with five personnel on board, including one junior commissioned officer (JCO) and four jawans when it was struck by flash floods.

Of the five personnel, one soldier has been traced, and efforts are still underway to track the other four, said defense authorities to the news agency. The defense minister, Rajnath Singh, also tweeted about the same, paying condolences to the soldiers who died due to the flash floods.

This act is a sad reminder of the hard-fought campaigns that soldiers undergo in the area. In the same year, nine soldiers, of which a JCO was killed as their army truck met with an accident and went off the deep gorge near Kiari in district Leh.

Since May 2020, the Indian and Chinese military have been in a face-off in the Indian-administered territory of Ladakh, which has made the region’s operations even more challenging. As mentioned earlier, different South Asian countries have implemented various disengagement measures at different friction points; however, a strategic solution to the border issue is still missing.

In the first half of this year, Army Chief General Manoj Pande sought to establish the capability of the army on the northern frontier, particularly in China. He continued that presently, the situation along the LAC in Ladakh could be described as stable but sensitive.

During the recently concluded NDA government’s third term, the Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar pointed out that the government’s major focus was to resolve several outstanding matters with China concerning the LAC. He emphasized the recognition of diplomacy in resolving such issues as the best ways.

This passing signifies the extent of Indian forces’ losses in upkeeping national security under rather demanding circumstances.

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