Five soldiers have been killed after their tank met with an accident during a river-crossing exercise near the Line of Actual Control in Leh’s Daulat Beg Oldi area in the early hours of Saturday, officials said. Rescue officials have recovered one body, while the four others are missing.

A Junior Commissioned Officer, or JCO, is among the five killed in the accident that happened around 1 am.

The soldiers were on a training mission and were crossing the Bodhi River near Mandir Morh, 148 kilometres from Leh, on their T-72 tank when suddenly the water levels began to rise, official sources said. Soon the tank and the soldiers were submerged in the swelling river, they added.

A rescue operation has been launched.

More details are awaited.

At the 70th anniversary of the Panchsheel agreement, Xi Jinping reiterated the principles’ importance in global relations. His commitment to upholding mutual respect, non-aggression, and peaceful coexistence is evident as he begins his third term as President, emphasizing the significance of the principles in joint statements with India and Myanmar.