Search for missing soldiers continues in Arunachal Pradesh
Kolkata/Itanagar, Aug 19 (IANS) Search for the five soldiers, missing after the major cloudburst in Arunachal Pradesh, will continue, the Army’s Eastern Command has said.
With weather improving in the area, assets of the Army Aviation Corps, under the Command, carried out extensive search operations on Wednesday. The operations were called off only in the evening after light failed.
“Operations will resume again from early on Thursday. Ground teams are co-ordinating with the helicopters during the search in the extremely rugged terrain. Search will continue till we trace them,” a senior official said.
“Two critically injured soldiers were evacuated from a riverbed. Efforts continue to intensify the search for the missing personnel swept away by flash floods,” the Eastern Command posted on X.
A cloudburst in the Pashu Pani area of Anini in the Upper Dibang Valley triggered a massive flash flood and landslide that swept away two shelters at the 5th Grenadier’s Pasu Pani Army camp on August 14, 2026.
Seven Army personnel were swept away in the sudden flooding. Two were subsequently rescued, while five remain missing. Rescue operations began immediately, and search teams from the 5th Grenadier were deployed, while personnel from the 58th Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), 62 RCC of the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF), Arunachal Pradesh Police and local volunteers joined the operation.
A State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) team has also reached from Pasighat. Army aviation assets operated when the weather allowed.
Officials said that inclement weather, heavy inundation and difficult terrain have affected search operations, even on the ground. Going is tough for the rescuers amid fast-flowing rivers near a rocky landscape.
“Army Aviation is undertaking continuous Search and Rescue and Casualty Evacuation operations in Dibang Valley,” the Army posted, indicating that operations will continue. More assets will be deployed if the need arises, the official said.
The Army may also be joined by the Indian Air Force in the search. “One of the problems is that much of the area is uninhabited. Hence, we cannot expect local reports,” the official said.
–IANS
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