Three Indian soldiers, including a senior army officer, have been killed in a confrontation with Chinese forces along a disputed border area in the Himalayas.

The Indian army said in a statement on Tuesday that a ‘violent faceoff’ took place in Galwan valley in the Ladakh region on Monday night ‘with casualties on both sides.’

Troops from the two countries have been facing off along the disputed frontier for more than a month.

After the latest skirmish, there was no comment from China.

‘The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers,’ India’s statement said.

‘Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation.’

Indian officials continued to say that Chinese soldiers crossed the boundary in Ladakh in early May at three different points, erecting tents and guard posts and ignoring verbal warnings to leave.

The incident is the first such confrontation between the two Asian giants since 1975 in which soldiers have died.

Thousands of soldiers from the two countries, backed by armored trucks and artillery, have been facing off just a few hundred yards apart for more than a month in the Ladakh region near Tibet.

Army officers and diplomats have held a series of meetings to try to end the impasse, with no breakthrough.