In a tragic development 5 soldiers are feared dead as their T-72 tank met with an accident this Saturday morning near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Mandi Morh in the Daulat Beg Oldie area of Ladakh.
Army officials confirmed that the incident occurred at around 3 AM during a tank exercise involving a river crossing. The bodies of the deceased are being recovered. The tank was manned by a crew of 5 consisting of a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO).
The incident was caused due to sudden rise in the water levels, said the Army officials. They further inform that the tank was en route to Tangste when the tragic accident occurred. The body of one deceased has been recovered while the search for the others is underway.
The incident occurred at the Daulat Beg Oldie area of Ladakh, which is the first point of contact to the Galwan valley where the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army clashed in 2020.
Given the context of the 1962 war with China and, more recently, the confrontations between the Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army in May-June 2020, the Ladakh-Arunachal Pradesh Corridor (LAC) holds strategic significance for India. At least 20 Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in melee conflicts on June 15, 2020. China also confirmed the deaths of four of their soldiers over the same period.
Further details about the incident are awaited.