India says 20 soldiers killed in clash with Chinese troops

An Indian man burns a photograph of Chinese president Xi Jinping during a protest against China in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 16, 2020. At least three Indian soldiers, including a senior army officer, were killed in a confrontation with Chinese troops along their disputed border high in the Himalayas where thousands of soldiers on both sides have been facing off for over a month, the Indian army said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) An Indian man burns a photograph of Chinese president Xi Jinping during a protest against China in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 16, 2020. At least three Indian soldiers, including a senior army officer, were killed in a confrontation with Chinese troops along their disputed border high in the Himalayas where thousands of soldiers on both sides have been facing off for over a month, the Indian army said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN / Associated Press June 16, 2020 5 min read

SRINAGAR, India (AP) – A border clash high in the Himalayas between the world’s two most populated countries has claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers in the first deadly violence since the two nuclear armed neighbors faced off in a border dispute 45 year ago.

The Indian and Chinese troops fought each other with fists and rocks along the high-altitude Himalaya terrain in a clash that left 20 Indian soldiers dead, Indian authorities said Tuesday.

China accused Indian forces of carrying out “provocative attacks” on its troops and has not said if any of its soldiers have died.

The Indian army said in its statement that the two sides had “disengaged” from the disputed Galwan area where they clashed overnight on Monday.

The army originally reported that three Indian soldiers had died, but later said 17 additional soldiers succumbed to injuries they suffered in the sub-zero temperatures where the clash occurred in the Himalayan region of Ladakh.