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Bodies of 2 special forces soldiers, swept away in Yamuna during training exercise, found
The incident occurred on Tuesday. A boat carrying five army personnel moved downstream near the barrage gates, got caught in a powerful current, and capsized.
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Divers and local residents on Thursday recovered the body of a second soldier nearly 200km downstream near Jind city, two days after two personnel went missing during a training exercise at the Hathnikund Barrage in Yamunanagar.
Ramesh Kumar, a retired captain of 1 Para Special Forces (SF) residing in Jind, said the body was retrieved near the back of the local Subzi Mandi. He identified the deceased as Aryan Patil from Maharashtra, noting he was participating in special forces training at the barrage.
The body of the first missing soldier was recovered along the Yamuna river bank near Bartha village in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district, 14km downstream from the barrage. He was identified as Ajay Kumar from Akhnoor, Jammu and Kashmir, police sources said.
Also Read | 2 special forces soldiers swept away during training exercise at Haryana's Hathnikund barrage
The Indian Army has not yet officially confirmed either recovery or the identities of the deceased. A statement from the defence public relations officer (PRO) was awaited.
What happened?
The incident occurred around 6 pm on Tuesday. A boat carrying five army personnel moved downstream near the barrage gates, got caught in a powerful current, and capsized. While three soldiers swam to safety, the other two were swept away.
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Multi-agency search and rescue operation
A multi-agency search and rescue operation including the army, Indian Air Force, NDRF, SDRF units from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, local police, and civil authorities was launched following the incident.
Search efforts utilised two helicopters and drones to conduct aerial surveys along the barrage and its parallel canals—the Western Yamuna Canal (WJC) and the Eastern Jamuna Canal (EJC).
Also Read | Sonepat: Two brothers feared drowned in Yamuna
On the army’s request, the Haryana irrigation and water resources department reduced water discharge at the barrage and the WJC to assist rescue divers.
