Five Indian Army personnel, including one Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and four jawans, tragically lost their lives after their T-72 tank was swept away by flash floods while crossing a river. The mishap occurred in the Daulat Beg Oldie area, and all five bodies have since been recovered.
The incident happened near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Nyoma-Chushul area early Saturday, as per reports by PTI.
Officials reported that the incident occurred near Mandir Morh, 148 kilometers from Leh, during an exercise around 1 am.
The incident occurred when the tank, carrying one Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and four Jawans, encountered sudden flash floods, causing it to sink, the officials reported.
Five Indian Army personnel including one JCO and four jawans lost their lives in a mishap during a river crossing exercise last evening in Daulat Beg Oldie area. All five bodies have been recovered: Defence officials pic.twitter.com/o5pFyxU88F
— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2024
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed sorrow on Saturday regarding the fatalities of five Indian Army soldiers following the accident.
“Deeply saddened at the loss of lives of five of our brave Indian Army soldiers in an unfortunate accident while getting across a river in Ladakh in a tank. We will never forget the exemplary service of our gallant soldiers to the nation,” Rajnath Singh said in a post on X.
“There were five soldiers in the tank at the time of the incident including one JCO and 4 Jawans. One person has been located while the search for others is still going on,” defence officials told ANI.
More details awaited.