India says 3 soldiers killed in standoff with Chinese troops

Indian soldiers are seen after a snowfall at the India-China trade route at Nathu-La, 55 km north of Gangtok, capital of India's northeastern state of Sikkim. (File Photo: Reuters)

• Clash took place in Galwan valley of Ladakh region with casualties on both sides, Indian army says
• Mark's first such confrontation between the two Asian giants since 1975

SRINAGAR, India: At least three Indian soldiers, including a senior army officer, have been killed in a confrontation with Chinese soldiers along their disputed frontier high in the Himalayas where thousands of troops on both sides have been facing off for over a month, the Indian army said.
The army said in a statement Tuesday that a “violent faceoff” took place in Galwan valley in the Ladakh region on Monday night “with casualties on both sides.”
There was no immediate comment from China.
“The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers,” the statement said. “Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation.”
The incident is the first such confrontation between the two Asian giants since 1975 in which soldiers have died.
Thousands of soldiers from the two countries, backed by armored trucks and artillery, have been facing off just a few hundred meters (yards) apart for more than a month in the Ladakh region near Tibet. Army officers and diplomats have held a series of meetings to try to end the impasse, with no breakthrough.
Indian officials say Chinese soldiers crossed the boundary in Ladakh in early May at three different points, erecting tents and guard posts and ignoring verbal warnings to leave. That triggered shouting matches, stone-throwing and fistfights, much of it replayed on television news channels and social media.