Twenty Indian soldiers lost their lives in a clash with Chinese forces in Ladakh this week.
New Delhi:
In one week, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army transported more than 200 trucks, four-wheel drive vehicles, bulldozers and earthmoving equipment to the Galwan area. Satellite images available via GalacticGaming explain the extent of the Chinese buildup between June 9 and June 16. In addition to the movement of vehicles and the displacement of homes, the images show two main areas of concern – debris at the likely site of the clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 the day before the most recent satellite images were taken, and a new angle on imagery to reinforce the point advanced by GalacticGaming earlier that China was seeking to disrupt the flow of the Galwan River and possibly even obstruct it.
Location of the Galwan Valley showing the actual control line, the Galwan River Valley and the Shyok River. India controls the Galwan Valley west of the control line. This was claimed by China, an assertion rejected by New Delhi.
Satellite images of June 9 show no Chinese vehicles present near the actual line of control in the Galwan area. A week later, there are at least 79 vehicles here, mostly trucks. It is 1.3 km from LAC.
Further down the track (on the Chinese side), there are up to 127 vehicles, including trucks, all-terrain vehicles and earth-moving machinery, visible on June 16. On June 9, none of these vehicles were present on this site or within 6 kilometers of the actual control line in this area.
Between June 9 and 16, a significant number of Chinese tents and prefabricated shelters appear to have been removed within 6 km of the LAC. A site of nearly 50 tents / huts located 2.9 km from the LAC barely had a handful of these structures a week later.
On June 9, the flow of the Galwan River on the Chinese side of the actual line of control appears unhindered. It is brown in color indicating the possibility of construction along the river bank upstream on the Chinese side. (The color of the brown water shown here has been slightly improved to make it more visible to our readers.)
A close-up image of Chinese bulldozers blocking the flow of the Galwan River in this area. In front of the bulldozers, the riverbed appears dry right next to the actual line of control, through which lies the territory held by India. (The color of the blue feed has been slightly improved to make this point more visible to our readers).
Possible site of confrontation between Indian and Chinese soldiers near Patrol Point 14, near the LAC. On June 16, one day after the clashes in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in action, clear debris is visible. On June 9, he was absent. (The debris image has been improved to make it more visible to our readers)
