5 Army Soldiers Martyred as T-72 Tank Stuck in Shyok river

Location: Eastern Ladakh, near Saser Brangsa

Incident:

1. A tragic incident occurred in eastern Ladakh, resulting in the loss of five soldiers during a military training exercise.
2. The soldiers, part of a tank crew, were withdrawing after completing a training activity in a crucial location when their tank was swept away by strong water currents in the Shyok River.
3. The Army tank got stuck in the Shyok River due to a sudden increase in water levels.

Location Significance:

1. The incident occurred in the Sub-Sector North of Ladakh, which consists of the Depsang plains and Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO).
2. This region is of strategic importance, with the airfield at DBO being one of the designated border personnel meeting points between India and China to resolve incidents along the Line of Actual Control.

Background:

1. India has deployed tanks in eastern Ladakh over the past decade, with a significant increase in deployment since the standoff with China in May 2020.
2. The region has seen a buildup of military infrastructure, including the construction of the 255 km-long Darbuk-Shyok-DBO road, with work underway to build an alternate access route through Saser La, an ancient trade route.

About the Shyok River:

1. The Shyok River flows through northern Ladakh, India, and joins the Indus River in the Pakistan-administered region of Gilgit-Baltistan.
2. It is a tributary of the Indus River.
3. Course:

1. Originating from the Rimo Glacier, a tongue of the Siachen Glacier, the Shyok River gets its name from a Ladakhi word meaning 'the river of death'.
2. Initially flowing in a southeast direction, the river makes a sharp turn to the northwest upon reaching the Pangong Range, flowing parallel to its previous path.
3. After flowing through a broad valley, the Shyok River enters a narrow gorge after Chalunka and joins the Indus River at Skardu, Pakistan.

4. The total length of the Shyok River is approximately 550 kilometers (340 miles).
5. The river is fed by meltwater from numerous glaciers during its journey.
6. It meanders through the high-altitude deserts and mountain ranges of Ladakh before converging with the Indus River.
7. The Nubra River is the main right-bank tributary of the Shyok River.

Main Tributaries of the Indus River:

The Indus River receives its most significant tributaries from the eastern Punjab Plain. These five rivers—the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—give the name Punjab (“Five Rivers”) to the region divided between Pakistan and India.

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