Indian military tank sinks near China border, killing 5 soldiers

Five Indian soldiers were killed when a military tank they were travelling in sank while crossing a river in the remote region of Ladakh that borders China, officials have said.

The tank sank early Saturday due to a sudden increase in the water levels of Shyok River during a military training activity, according to an Indian army command centre statement.

It said the accident took place in Saser Brangsa near the Line of Actual Control that divides India and China in the Ladakh region.

Ladakh earlier part of Indian-administered Kashmir is now a union territory after the abrogation of Article 370 by the Indian parliament in 2019 and the division of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, both contested by India and Pakistan.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called it an “unfortunate accident.”

The Indian and Chinese militaries have been locked in a standoff in Ladakh since May 2020, when they clashed along their land border in the region, with 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers killed.

The skirmish turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area, where each side has stationed tens of thousands of military personnel. New Delhi and Beijing have held a series of diplomatic and military talks to resolve their worst military conflict in decades.

The border dispute between India and China dates back to the 1950s, and the two sides fought a war over it in 1962.