Tension simmering in Eastern Ladakh; Chinese helicopters spotted: Sources

Tension is simmering along the India-China border with troops of the two countries maintaining a close watch on each other in the Pangong Tso lake area in Eastern Ladakh, days after nearly 250 soldiers from both sides were engaged in a violent face-off that left many of them injured, sources have confirmed.

At least a couple of Chinese military helicopters were spotted flying close to the un-demarcated Sino-India border in the area after the fierce face-off on May 5 following which a fleet of Sukhoi-30 jets of the Indian Air Force too carried out sorties there, the sources said.

The troops on both sides held on to their respective positions and even reinforcements were brought in an apprehension of further escalation in tension, the sources said when asked about the face-off.

They said tension was still prevailing in the area, though both sides agreed to disengage during a meeting of local commanders on May 6.

"The situation remains tense," said a source adding some troops are being kept by both sides in the area following the face-off.

When asked, an Army spokesperson said: "Incidents of face-off and aggressive behaviour occur on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Patrols disengage after local level interaction and dialogue. Temporary and short duration face-offs occur as boundary is not resolved."