Yamunanagar / New Delhi, September 2, 2026: Two soldiers of the Indian Army’s elite 1 Parachute Battalion (Special Forces) remain missing after an Army motorboat capsized in strong currents near the Hathnikund Barrage on the Yamuna river during a training exercise on Tuesday evening. Three other soldiers who were aboard the vessel managed to reach safety, while a large multi-agency search and rescue operation continued on Wednesday.
The personnel belonged to 1 PARA (Special Forces), based at Nahan in Himachal Pradesh. The unit was conducting watermanship and flood-rescue training at Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana’s Yamunanagar district when the accident occurred.
Five Army personnel were travelling in a motorboat as part of the exercise when the vessel reportedly developed a technical fault. Powerful currents subsequently began carrying the boat towards the downstream side of the barrage, where water movement around the sluice gates can be particularly turbulent.
According to the Chandigarh-based defence public relations office, teams immediately attempted to retrieve the stranded vessel. However, the motorboat became caught in strong eddies near the sluice gates and eventually capsized, throwing all five soldiers into the fast-flowing river.
“The teams made swift efforts to retrieve the boat. However, the boat got stuck in strong eddies around the sluice gates and capsized, resulting in the crew getting swept away by the strong currents. Two members of the crew are presently missing,” the defence spokesperson said.
Three of the five soldiers managed to swim to safety despite the powerful current. Local reports indicated that they were swept several hundred metres before reaching the vicinity of the Western Yamuna Canal gates and making their way out of the water.
The other two soldiers, however, were carried away by the current and could not be immediately located. Reports indicated that the personnel participating in the exercise were wearing life jackets at the time of the accident.
Pratap Nagar police were informed about the incident at approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Initial reports from the area suggested that one soldier was missing, but the Army subsequently confirmed that two members of the five-man crew remained unaccounted for.
A major search and rescue operation was launched following the accident, bringing together personnel and resources from several agencies. Teams from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Forces of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, local police and the civil administration have been involved in the effort.
The Indian Air Force deployed two helicopters to conduct aerial searches over the barrage and adjoining waterways. The operation has covered stretches of the Yamuna as well as the Western Yamuna Canal towards Haryana and the Eastern Yamuna Canal towards Uttar Pradesh amid concerns that the strong flow could have carried the missing soldiers into the extensive canal network.
Authorities also reduced the discharge of water from Hathnikund Barrage following a request from the Army. The Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources Department lowered the flow to facilitate searches along the river and canal system and improve conditions for rescue personnel operating near the barrage.
Hathnikund Barrage is located on the Yamuna in Yamunanagar district, close to the Haryana-Himachal Pradesh border. Water released through its gates feeds the river and major canal systems, while strong currents, eddies and turbulence around the sluice gates can create challenging conditions, particularly when discharge levels are high.
The Army and district administration have not officially disclosed the identities of the two missing soldiers.
As of Wednesday evening, both soldiers remained missing. Search teams continued combing the river, barrage area and downstream canal network, with officials saying all available resources were being deployed to trace the two 1 PARA (Special Forces) personnel.
