Jammu, March 10 – The body of an Indian Army soldier, who went missing during a river crossing exercise, was recovered on Tuesday, a day after the accident.
Officials said that the body of the soldier, who had gone missing during a river-crossing training exercise in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, was recovered today.
"The body of Sepoy Akshit Sharma was recovered from the Manawar stream in the Khour area by a joint search party of the Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local rescuers this morning," they said.
"Sepoy Sharma had gone missing on Monday during a river-crossing exercise conducted by the Army in the Sundarbani area of Rajouri district," officials added.
"Following the incident, a search operation was launched by the Army with the assistance of NDRF and local rescuers," they said.
Army soldiers perform their duties in high-altitude mountains and in rugged terrain in J&K and Ladakh, in highly inhospitable and challenging weather and geographical conditions.
The Indian Army also controls the world's highest battlefield, the Siachen Glacier, in the Ladakh region.
The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern Kashmir.
At 76 km long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and the second-longest in the world's non-polar areas. It extends from an altitude of 5,753 metres (18,875 ft) above sea level at its head at Indira Col on the India–China border down to 3,620 metres (11,875 ft) at its terminus.
The entire Siachen Glacier, with all major passes, has been under the control of India as part of the union territory of Ladakh since 1984, with Pakistani posts located 1 km below more than 100 Indian posts on the ridge.
The purpose of these tough on-the-ground training exercises and fatigues carried out for army personnel in J&K and Ladakh Union Territories is to acclimatize and train the soldiers for these challenging duties.