Indian Army Agniveers declared dead after Dibang Valley floods

Three Indian Army Agniveers—Aditya Kumar, Kundan Kumar, and Vinod Yadav—have been declared dead following floods in the Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. The soldiers went missing on August 14 after a cloudburst triggered landslides and flash floods in the rugged region.

The Indian Army confirmed the identities of the soldiers through DNA testing of mortal remains found several days after the incident. Following identification, the remains were handed over to their families, and the urns containing their ashes reached their respective native villages on Saturday.

Aditya Kumar, a native of Vaishali, Bihar, was laid to rest with full military honors in Arunachal Pradesh before his ashes were returned to his ancestral village. Vinod Yadav, from Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, and Kundan Kumar, also from Bihar, were among those lost in the natural disaster. Eastern Army Commander Lt General V. M. B. Krishnan and other military officials expressed condolences and paid tribute to the soldiers for their service.