Five soldiers killed when Indian military tank sinks while crossing river near Chinese border

Five Indian soldiers were killed when their military tank sank while crossing a river in the Ladakh region on the border with China, officials said Saturday.

The tank sank due to a sudden increase in water level in the Shyok River during a military training exercise, the Indian Army's command center said in a statement.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh expressed condolences to the bereaved families and termed the accident “unfortunate”.

“Deeply saddened by the loss of lives of five of our brave soldiers of the Indian Army in an unfortunate accident while ferrying a tank across a river in Ladakh,” Mr. Singh said in a statement shared on x.

“We will never forget the exemplary service of our valiant soldiers to the nation… The nation stands firm with them during this hour of mourning,” he said.

The accident occurred in the Saser Brangs region of Ladakh, near the Line of Actual Control that divides India and China.

India and China are at an impasse in the region, and there are widespread fears that the dispute over the region could one day lead to a wider conflict.

Tensions came to a head in June 2020, when 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops were killed following fighting in the Galwan Valley region. While the Asian giants have held numerous discussions to resolve tensions, they have yet to resolve the main points of contention.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that India could redirect more than 10,000 troops from its western border to its frontline with China. Around 9,000 troops were also previously assigned to the border with China.

The border dispute has also affected diplomatic relations between the two countries, with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping snubbing the G20 summit hosted by India.

China's Foreign Ministry previously said India's decision to send more troops to the border was “not conducive to easing tensions.”

“China is committed to working with India to safeguard the peace and stability of the border areas,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

“India's increased military deployments in the border areas do not help calm the situation or maintain peace and security in these areas,” Mao added.

Skirmishes over the ill-defined Indo-Chinese border date back to the 1950s, with the Asian giants also waging a war over the border in 1962.