SRINAGAR: Two personnel from the 1 Para (Special Forces), including a soldier from Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir, have gone missing after a motorboat sank during a training exercise in the Yamuna near Hathnikund Barrage, according to media reports.
The missing soldiers have been identified as Aryan Patil of Maharashtra and Ajay of Akhnoor, Jammu and Kashmir.
The incident occurred at around 5pm on September 1, when five soldiers of the Special Forces unit reportedly jumped from a Chinook helicopter into a motorboat positioned in the Yamuna as part of the exercise.
The boat allegedly failed to start and began sinking, prompting the soldiers to enter the river while wearing diving equipment and life jackets.
Three of the soldiers managed to reach safety through the gate of the Western Yamuna Canal. Patil and Ajay, however, could not be traced.
The Army, with assistance from local divers, began a search operation on Tuesday night to locate the two missing personnel.
Media reports also said that a body was recovered near Bartha Thorsi village in Saharanpur district, although the identity of the deceased had not been officially established in the information available.
Further details are awaited.
