Incident Overview
An Indian Army soldier is missing after a motorboat capsized in the Yamuna river during a training and mock drill exercise at Hathnikund barrage in Yamunanagar district on Tuesday. The incident occurred after an army motorboat developed a technical fault and began sinking, according to reports.
The Indian Express reported that two Army jawans of Special Forces are missing, while The Times of India and The Tribune reported that three soldiers managed to swim to safety and one remains missing. The Indian Express cited a source saying two soldiers swam to safety and two others went missing. The Tribune initially reported that four Army personnel went missing, with three later safe and one still missing.
The missing soldier's identity has not been established, as officials have not disclosed further details, according to The Times of India.
The Exercise and Technical Fault
Army personnel had arrived at Hathnikund barrage for a training exercise. A motorboat was deployed in the upstream area of the barrage for the drill when it reportedly developed a technical problem and started sinking. According to The Tribune, the boat's deployment was part of the exercise that led to the incident.
Four soldiers aboard the boat, wearing life jackets, jumped into the water after the boat began sinking. They were carried by the strong current towards the Western Yamuna Canal. The Tribune reported that three soldiers managed to swim out safely, while the fourth could not be traced. The Indian Express identified the troops as belonging to 1 Parachute Battalion (Special Forces), based at Nahan in Himachal Pradesh.
Search and Rescue Operations
A search operation was immediately launched by the army and district administration, according to The Times of India. A police team from Pratap Nagar police station reached the spot and joined the search. The submerged motorboat was recovered from the river after a prolonged effort, the same outlet reported.
Rohtas Kumar, SHO of Pratap Nagar police station, said that a soldier of the Army was missing in the Yamuna river. He stated, "On our request, the authorities of the Irrigation and Water Resources department have reduced the flow of water in Western Yamuna Canal from the Hathnikund barrage. We have also requested the district administration to send a team of NDRF to carry out the search operation." This statement was also reported by The Tribune with the same attribution.
The army has not yet issued an official statement on the incident, as noted by The Times of India.
Official Statements
While the army has not issued an official statement, local police officials have provided details. The police officer's comments about reducing water flow and requesting NDRF assistance were reported by both The Times of India and The Tribune, attributing them to an unnamed police officer or SHO Rohtas Kumar respectively.
The Indian Express did not include comments from officials, instead relying on an unnamed source for details about the number of missing soldiers.
Conclusion
The incident remains under investigation, with search operations continuing at the time of reporting. The discrepancy in the number of missing soldiers—two according to The Indian Express, and one according to The Times of India and The Tribune—has not been resolved in the reports available.