The incident occurred near Mandir Morh, 148 kilometres from Leh, during an exercise around 1 a.m., the officials said
The T-72 tank with five soldiers on board sank due to flash floods while they were crossing the river, the officials said.
The bodies of the personnel — including one JCO and four jawans — has been recovered, Defence officials said.
The Army’s 14 Corps, which is headquartered in Leh condoled the lives of the five personnel. “On 28 June 2024 night, while de-inducting from a military training activity, an army tank got stuck in the Shyok River, near Saser Brangsa, Eastern Ladakh due to sudden increase in the water level. Rescue teams rushed to the location, however, due to high current and water levels, the rescue mission didn’t succeed and the tank crew lost their lives. Indian Army regrets loss of five brave personnel while being operationally deployed in eastern Ladakh. Rescue operations are underway,” they said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed grief over the unfortunate accident. “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 said in a post on X
“We will never forget exemplary service of our gallant soldiers to the nation. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. The nation stands firm with them during this hour of grief,” he added.
Significance of Daulat Beg Oldie
The crucial Sub-Sector North (SSN) consists of the Depsang plains and Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO). Currently, the airfield at DBO and the area in general is accessible only by the 255 km-long Darbuk-Shyok-DBO (DSDBO) road and work is in advanced stages on an alternate access Saser La, an ancient trade route. DBO also has one of the designated Border Personnel Meeting points between India and Chia to resolve incidents along the LAC.
Over the last decade, India had deployed tanks in Eastern Ladakh and there was significant deployment of tanks, infantry vehicles and other heavy equipment since the beginning of the standoff with china since 2020
