SRINAGAR: In a tragic incident, at least five soldiers from the Indian Army’s Armoured Regiment lost their lives after being swept away by the Shyok River on Saturday. The soldiers were conducting a drill to practice emergency movements in a T-72 tank when the mishap occurred.
The Shyok River, a crucial water body that flows past the Depsang plains near the Daulat Beg Oldi airfield, experienced a sudden increase in water levels due to snowmelt from the Eastern flank of the Rimo Kangri glacier. The rapidly flowing river, a tributary of the Indus, caught the soldiers by surprise as they were crossing in their amphibious tank, which is designed to float and move forward in the water.
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
Sources confirmed the deaths, but further details are awaited. The terrain in the area is treeless, and the snowmelt from mountain peaks rushes directly into the valley, contributing to the river’s swift currents.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed his condolences on the tragic loss. “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,” he stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
