Army training turns into rescue operation as two commandos go missing in Yamuna

Two soldiers from the Indian Army's 1 Para Special Forces remain missing after a training boat capsized in strong currents in the Yamuna at Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana's Yamunanagar district. Three other personnel from the five-member crew managed to reach safety, while a multi-agency operation is underway to locate the missing commandos.

What happened at Hathnikund Barrage?

The incident took place on Tuesday night, September 1, during a joint watermanship training exercise involving five Army personnel.

According to the defence public relations officer in Chandigarh, the soldiers were operating a pneumatic boat when it developed a technical snag and was caught in strong currents downstream of the barrage.

The rescue effort initially focused on retrieving the boat. However, the vessel became trapped in strong eddies near the sluice gates and subsequently capsized, sending the crew into the river.

Two soldiers were swept downstream by the powerful currents and remain missing.

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Three soldiers reach safety

Three members of the crew managed to swim to safety after the boat overturned.

The two missing soldiers were wearing life jackets, according to the information released about the incident. The Army and other agencies have continued searching downstream in an effort to locate them.

The boat involved in the exercise has also been recovered.

Massive multi-agency search operation

The Indian Army has mobilised search teams along with the Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) units from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, police and the local civil administration.

Two helicopters are conducting aerial searches around the barrage and along downstream routes.

Search operations are also being carried out along the Western Yamuna Canal towards Haryana and the Eastern Jamuna Canal towards Uttar Pradesh.

The involvement of agencies from both states reflects the difficulty of tracking personnel who may have been carried downstream by the rapidly moving water.

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Water discharge reduced to aid rescue

The Haryana irrigation and water resources department has reduced the water discharge at the Hathnikund Barrage and the Western Yamuna Canal following a request from the Army.

The reduction is intended to slow the flow and create safer and more favourable conditions for search teams working in and around the river.

The strong currents and eddies around the barrage have complicated the rescue operation.

Why the search is challenging

Hathnikund Barrage is a major water-control structure on the Yamuna, and changing water flows around its gates can create powerful currents and eddies.

The missing soldiers were swept downstream after the training boat overturned, making the search area potentially extensive. Aerial surveillance, river-based searches and coordinated operations across Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are therefore being used to cover multiple possible routes.

Authorities have not yet announced the recovery of the two missing personnel.