Indian and Chinese troops have clashed in the Himalayan mountains, leading to the deaths of dozens who fell into the deep mountain gorges, The Guardian reports.
According to Indian sources, a patrol of Indian soldiers encountered Chinese soldiers in an area that China was supposed to have withdrawn from, in line with an agreement reached in early June. They describe the encounter as a "deliberate ambush" and it resulted in hand-to-hand fighting, with soldiers from both armies being pushed to their deaths.
Neither the Indian nor the Chinese forces were armed, in line with a decades-long tradition that is supposed to make escalation less likely in cases of confrontation. Instead, soldiers fought with stones, iron rods, and other makeshift weapons, in almost total darkness.
According to Chinese sources, it was the Indian troops who violated the border agreement, crossing illegally into Chinese territory.
Indian media reports of the clash have led to protests in several Indian cities; in China, however, news reports made no mention of the incident.