An Indian Army boat capsized in the Yamuna river during a night training exercise in Haryana’s Yamunanagar district, officials said on Wednesday. Two soldiers from the 1 Para Special Forces of the Indian Army are missing.
The incident happened on Tuesday night at Hathnikund Barrage when a boat carrying five personnel developed a technical problem and got stuck in strong currents toward the downstream section of the barrage, the Army’s defence public relations officer said in a statement.
Three soldiers made it to safety by swimming. Two were carried downstream and are missing. The Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force units of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, police and local authorities launched a joint search and rescue operation.
“The teams made swift efforts to retrieve the boat. However, the boat got struck in strong eddies around the sluice gates and capsized resulting in the crew getting swept away by the strong currents. Two members of the crew are presently missing,” the defence spokesperson said.
In order to aid in the search, authorities have reduced water discharge from the barrage into the Western Yamuna Canal. Two IAF choppers also have been pressed into service to survey the barrage, canals and downstream areas.
