India China Clash On Borders. Indians Colonel, 2 Other Ranks Killed.

NEW DELHI/BEIJING - At least 20 Indian soldiers have died after a "violent face-off" with Chinese troops along the Line Of Actual Controllate Monday.

The incident occurred during a "deescalation process" underway in the Galwan Valley in the disputed Aksai Chin-Ladakh area, where a large troop build-up has reportedly been taking place for weeks now on both sides of the border, before senior military commanders began talks earlier this month.

The Indian army had earlier said three soldiers had died, but added on Tuesday that a further 17 troops "who were critically injured in the line of duty at the standoff location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain have succumbed to their injuries." The deaths are the first military casualties along the two countries' disputed border for more than 40 years.

Indian and Chinese troops clashed at the disputed border, resulting in casualties on both sides including the death of three Indian soldiers, Indian officials said on Tuesday, in a major escalation of a weeks-old standoff.

China and India traded accusations as to who was to blame for the face-off in the snow deserts of Ladakh in the western Himalayas on Monday. No shots were fired, an Indian government source said.

The deaths were the first since the last major border clash in 1967 between the nuclear-armed Asian giants and world’s two most populous countries which have not been able to settle the dispute along their vast frontier.

Since early May, hundreds of soldiers have fronted up against each other at three locations, each side accusing the other of trespassing.

India says China unilaterally tried to change status quo at disputed border site.  China military demands India stop all provocations, return to dialogue

On Monday night, a small group of soldiers came to blows in the Galwan Valley, Indian officials said.

“Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said in a statement.

“During the de-escalation process under way in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place yesterday night with casualties on both sides,” the Indian army said in a statement.

“The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers. Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation.”

The officer who died was a colonel, the government source said. The two sides had been discussing ways to de-escalate but at some point the People’s Liberation Army turned on a group of Indian soldiers, the source said.

“They attacked with iron rods, the commanding officer was grievously injured and fell, and when that happened, more soldiers swarmed to the area and attacked with stones,” said the source, who had been briefed on the matter.

The Chinese side brought in reinforcements and the brawl went on for a couple of hours, the source said.

“Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said in a statement.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing said there was a serious violation of a consensus reached by the two countries.

“What’s shocking is that on June 15, the Indian side severely violated our consensus and twice crossed the border line and provoked and attacked the Chinese forces, causing a violent physical confrontation between the two border forces,” Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing.