A joint search and rescue operation is underway at the Hathnikund Barrage in Yamunanagar district after two soldiers of 1 Para Special Forces (SF) went missing in the Yamuna river on Tuesday night, officials said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred during a night training exercise involving five personnel when their army boat experienced a technical snag. According to a statement by the Chandigarh-based defence public relations officer (PRO), the boat got caught in strong currents towards the downstream barrage.
ALSO READ | Hotel where we ate breakfast swept away moments later, pilgrim recalls Nepal floods horror
“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 spokesperson said.
3 soldiers swim to safety
While three soldiers managed to swim to safety, strong currents swept the remaining two downstream.
{{/usCountry}}While three soldiers managed to swim to safety, strong currents swept the remaining two downstream.
{{/usCountry}}Search and rescue teams from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) units from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, local police, and the civil administration have deployed all available resources for the operation.
ALSO READ | How a principal saved 900 students moments before school vanished in Nepal floods
Two helicopters are conducting aerial surveys along the barrage and downstream parallel canals—the Western Yamuna Canal (WJC) toward Haryana and the Eastern Jamuna Canal (EJC) toward Uttar Pradesh.
Water discharge reduced to aid search
To facilitate the search, the Haryana irrigation and water resources department reduced water discharge at the barrage and WJC following a request from the army.
ALSO READ | Nepal flash flood death toll rises to 1,127
Pratap Nagar police station SHO inspector Rohtash confirmed that the multi-agency operation is underway, though the missing personnel have yet to be traced.