Army officer goes missing during kayaking trip in Congo

An Army officer deputed as a military observer in the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has gone missing from the Lake Kivu area during a kayaking trip, defence sources said on Thursday.

A massive search operation has been launched in the area to trace the officer, Lieutenant Colonel Gaurav Solanki, who has been missing for the past five days.

Solanki had travelled to Lake Kivu for kayaking with a group of other officers on September 8. The lake is on the border between Congo and Rwanda in Central Africa.

"After kayaking, everyone returned except Solanki. All efforts are being made to find the officer. Speed boats and helicopters are being used to locate and rescue the officer," said an official.

As per sources, Solanki had completed his assignment in Congo and was due to return to his regiment in India in the next few days.IANS