20 Indian soldiers killed in the fiercest clashes with China in half a century

India and China, the world's two most populous countries, and the two largest nuclear armies and arsenals, have been in conflict in the Himalayan border region for weeks.

However, the crisis escalated on Tuesday, as the Indian army says that three of its soldiers, including a colonel, were killed in fighting with hands and clubs with Chinese forces.

 Indian media reported late Tuesday that 20 army personnel had been killed and "43 injured among the Chinese."

 China has not yet confirmed the number of dead and injured.

They are the first casualties in this conflict that has lasted for more than four decades over the border region separating the two Asian giants.