No fewer than 20 Indian soldiers have been killed in a violent clash with Chinese forces.
The deadly clashes occurred due to the border dispute between the two Asian giants, the Indian army said in a statement on Tuesday, reported by Al Jazeera.
There has been a major escalation of weeks-long standoff in the western Himalayas.
The army statement said on Tuesday that 17 “critically injured” Indian troops have died, in addition to an officer and two soldiers who had lost their lives earlier.
The statement said the soldiers died “in the line of duty at the stand-off location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain … taking the total that were killed in action to 20.”
Troops of the two nations have since disengaged in the areas where the clashes took place, the statement added.
India said it is firmly committed to “protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation.”
The incident marks the deadliest clash between China and India in decades.
The clashes between the troops of the two countries are as a result of their 3,500-kilometre (2,200-mile) frontier, which has never been properly demarcated.
Thousands of troops from the two Asian powers backed by armoured trucks and artillery, have been involved in the latest face-off since May in the Ladakh region, bordering Tibet.
Indian further accused Chinese soldiers of crossing the boundary at three different points.
China troops, according to Indian officials, are erecting tents and guard posts in the restricted areas and ignoring verbal warnings to leave.
This reportedly triggered shouting matches, stone-throwing and fistfights.
