20 Indian soldiers killed by Chinese forces

4 years ago

At least 20 Indian soldiers have been killed in a violent face-off with Chinese forces over a disputed border area in the western Himalayas, the Indian army has said, in a major escalation of a weeks-long standoff.

In a statement, the army said on Tuesday that 17 "critically injured" Indian troops succumbed to their wounds, in addition to an officer and two soldiers who had died earlier.

The foreign ministers of China and India have held telephone talks over the deadly border clash, agreeing to "cool down" the tensions.

In a TV address to the nation, India's PM Narendra Modi says the sacrifice of soldiers killed in Ladakh by China's army "will not go in vain".

India says the "violent face-off" is an attempt by China to "unilaterally change the status quo" on the Galwan Valley frontier in Indian-administered Ladakh.

Beijing, in turn, accuses the Indian army of "provoking and attacking Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical confrontation"