33 soldiers washed away in Ladakh floods, Pak help sought

A senior army officer said today that the jawans, who were manning a postnear Turtok along the Line of Control (LoC), still remained untraced after they faced the fury of a swollen Shyok river on the same day when Leh was hit by flash floods following a devastating cloudburst on Friday.

The Army has now sought the help of Pakistani authorities to help rescue the 33 personnel of 15 Bihar infantry regiment as it fears that they may have been swept away towards Pakistan-occupied Kashmir(PoK) in the deluge, the officer said.

Though the 33 soldiers, including three junior commissioned officers, were well-trained to negotiate the conditions, the Army has not been able to trace them even 48 hours after the incident, the officer said.

"The soldiers are feared to have been swept away towards PoK and we have sought help from Pakistan to trace them," the officer said.