Tragic Loss: Five Soldiers Drown in Ladakh During Military Exercise

Five soldiers were killed, including a JCO, when their T-72 tank was swept away by flash floods in the Shyok River, Ladakh. Rescue efforts failed due to raging waters. The incident has drawn condolences from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande.

In a tragic incident early Saturday, five soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), lost their lives during a military exercise when their Russian-origin T-72 tank was swept away following flash floods in the Shyok River, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed deep sorrow over the incident, saying, 'Deeply saddened by 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 extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and assured that their exemplary service will never be forgotten.

The soldiers, identified as MRK Reddy, Subhan Khan, Bhupendra Negi, E Teibam, and Sadarbonia Nagaraju, were part of the 52 Armoured Regiment, deployed at the Daulat Beg Oldi military base. Despite immediate deployment of rescue teams, efforts to salvage the situation were unsuccessful due to the high currents in the river.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)