Hundreds of Chinese troops reportedly hunted down dozens of Indian soldiers and beat them with batons wrapped in barbed wire

• Chinese soldiers beat Indian troops with metal batons wrapped in barbed wire and clubs embedded with nails in a border clash on Monday evening, senior Indian officials said.
• "They hit our boys on the head with metal batons wrapped in barbed wire. Our boys fought with bare hands," a senior Indian military official told the BBC.
• The official said that 300 Chinese troops fought 55 Indian soldiers in the clash in the Galwan Valley in the Ladakh region.
• At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the brutal fight, the BBC said, adding that unconfirmed reports in Indian news outlets said up to 40 Chinese troops were killed.

At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a brutal border clash with Chinese troops on Monday evening, and senior Indian officials have said the troops fought hand-to-hand and with improvised weapons like metal batons wrapped in barbed wire.

"They hit our boys on the head with metal batons wrapped in barbed wire. Our boys fought with bare hands," a senior Indian military official told the BBC.

The official said 300 Chinese troops, whom he described as "the Death Squad," fought 55 Indian soldiers. China has not released casualty figures, though unconfirmed reports in Indian news outlets have said up to 40 Chinese troops were killed, the BBC reported.

Another senior military official said the Indian troops were beaten to death with clubs embedded with nails, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The clash occurred in the Himalayas, in the Galwan Valley in the Ladakh region, the site of a long-running dispute between China and India, which both claim the territory as their own.

The fight took place on a narrow ridge, in the dark, roughly 14,000 feet above sea level, the Financial Times reported, citing Indian news reports. They said some of the Indian troops plunged into a ravine below.

A senior Indian government official told the India-based CNN affiliate News18 that the Chinese troops hunted down the Indian soldiers.

"Even unarmed men who fled into the hillsides were hunted down and killed," an Indian officer told News18. "The dead include men who jumped into the Galwan River in a desperate effort to escape."

The fight involved hand-to-hand combat and improvised weapons because firearms are prohibited in the disputed territory based on protocols agreed to by both sides, the Financial Times reported.

According to CNN, Zhao Lijian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said on Tuesday that Indian personnel crossed the border and attacked Chinese troops. Zhao did not say whether there were any injuries or fatalities.

"Indian troops seriously violated our consensus and twice crossed the border line for illegal activities and provoked and attacked Chinese personnel," Zhao said, adding that it led to "serious physical conflict between the two sides."

Kashmir, which is home to about 10 million people, is one of the most disputed territories in the world; India and Pakistan have fought over it since 1947. The region has been partitioned, with India controlling roughly 45% and Pakistan controlling 35%.

China also seized portions of the territory via a war with India in 1962 and controls roughly 20% of the region. The war ended with a tenuous truce and established a 2,100-mile unofficial border, known as the Line of Actual Control. The standoff has escalated since a brawl in May between Chinese and Indian soldiers at Pangong Lake.

Given that India, China, and Pakistan are all nuclear powers, the tensions in Kashmir tend to raise concerns among global leaders — particularly after deadly violence like Monday's high-altitude clash.

Until Monday, the conflict between India and China in the region had not led to any fatalities since 1975.

Both governments have been fairly restrained in their initial responses to the violence.

"India wants peace but if provoked it is capable of giving a befitting reply," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, according to the Financial Times.

"China again expresses strong protest to India and demands the Indian side launches a thorough investigation ... and stop all provocative actions to ensure the same things do not happen again," China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, said in a statement, according to the BBC.

"Both sides should resolve the dispute through dialogue, and keep the border safe and tranquil," Wang added.

Sinéad Baker and Ryan Pickrell contributed reporting.