Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Conflicting Reports Follow Army Boat Accident During Haryana Drill
Army soldiers were practicing water-based rescue and preparedness skills near Hathnikund Barrage.
Their motorboat had an accident after it reportedly developed a technical problem.
The soldiers wore life jackets and entered the Yamuna River.
Strong currents carried some of them downstream.
Three soldiers were reported to have reached safety.
Reports disagreed about whether one or two soldiers were still missing.
Rescue teams from the Army, police and disaster-response agencies began searching.
Helicopters also searched the river and nearby canals.
Officials lowered the water flow to make the search easier.
An Army motorboat accident occurred during a training exercise at Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana on Tuesday.
The soldiers were from 1 Parachute Battalion (Special Forces), based in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh.
Reports differed over the number aboard and missing: one said four aboard and one missing, while another said five aboard and two missing.
Three soldiers reportedly swam to safety, while strong currents carried the others toward downstream canals.
The Army, police, disaster-response teams and other agencies launched searches, including helicopter operations, while water flow was reduced.
- Who
- Army personnel from 1 Parachute Battalion (Special Forces), based in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh.
- What
- A motorboat capsized or sank during a training exercise; reports differed on whether one or two soldiers were missing.
- When
- Tuesday; reports placed the incident in the evening or at night.
- Where
- Hathnikund Barrage on the Yamuna River in Yamunanagar district, Haryana, with searches extending into downstream canals.
- Why
- The troops were conducting a training drill, and the boat reportedly developed a technical problem before being affected by strong currents.
Two-Missing Account
One-Missing Account
Number missing
Two-Missing Account
One report said five people were aboard, three escaped by swimming and two were carried away by the current.
One-Missing Account
Several police-based reports said three soldiers reached safety and one remained missing.
Number aboard
Two-Missing Account
The Army-linked account reported five people on the vessel.
One-Missing Account
Other accounts reported four soldiers, or four to five troops, aboard.
Sequence of the accident
Two-Missing Account
The boat reportedly suffered a technical failure, became caught in strong eddies near sluice gates and capsized.
One-Missing Account
Police accounts described a boat accident during a training drill and said troops were swept away by the current, without detailing the eddies.
- Army unit
- 1 Parachute Battalion (Special Forces), also referred to as 1 Para Special Forces.
- Incident site
- Hathnikund Barrage on the Yamuna River in Yamunanagar district, Haryana.
- Reported people aboard
- Accounts said either four or five troops were on the boat.
- Reported outcome
- Three soldiers reached safety; reports differed on whether one or two others remained missing.
- Reported cause
- The boat reportedly developed a technical fault and was carried by strong currents; police described the event as an accident.
- Search agencies
- The Indian Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh disaster-response teams, police and local administration participated in the search.
- Search measures
- Two helicopters searched the barrage and downstream canals, while officials reduced water released into the Western Yamuna Canal.
Sources
Two Para SF Soldiers Missing In Haryana After Army Boat Capsizes In Yamuna
Army Boat Capsizes During Yamuna Drill In Haryana, One Soldier Missing; 3 Swim To Safety
Haryana: Two Army jawans missing after boat capsizes during training near Yamunanagar
Haryana Army Boat Accident: Soldier Missing In Yamuna River During Training Exercise At Hathnikund Barrage, Search Operation Underway
