A tank with five Indian Army soldiers onboard swept away by flash floods in Ladakh, near China border

Five soldiers of the Indian Army including one Junior Commissioned Officer, or JCO were killed after their tank was swept away in flash floods during a river-crossing exercise near the Line of Actual Control in Leh's Daulat Beg Oldi area in the early hours of Saturday. The soldiers were part of a routine exercise when this accident happened, as their T-72 tank sank in the Shyok river in the Nyoma-Chushul area, some 148 kms from Leh.

A rescue operation was immediately launched and all five bodies of the personnel have been recovered, confirmed officials. “On 28 June 2024 night, while de-inducting from a military training activity, an army tank got stuck in the Shyok River, near Saser Brangsa, Eastern Ladakh due to sudden increase in the water level. Rescue teams rushed to the location, however, due to high current and water levels, the rescue mission didn’t succeed and the tank crew lost their lives. Indian Army regrets loss of five brave personnel while being operationally deployed in eastern Ladakh. Rescue operations are underway,” Indian Army confirmed in an official statement.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed his grief, calling the incident unfortunate. He also expressed condolences for the bereaved families. "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 the 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," Rajnath Singh posted on X.

Post the standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh in May 2020, India has increased its presence significantly in the crucial Sub-Sector North (SSN) that consists of the Depsang plains and Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO). In the past one decade India has increased its deployment of tanks and other infantry in this sector for better preparedness to respond to any unforeseen situation.