Villagers help Indian troops face Chinese forces in Himalayas

Both sides prepare for winter with little hope of diplomatic outcome to border dispute

At an altitude of almost 15,000ft, the residents of Chushul village make their way across the bleak and unforgiving territory of the Indian state of Ladakh.

With unwieldy and overstuffed duffel bags, rice sacks, heavy fuel cans and bamboo canes strapped to their backs, they trudge upwards to a Himalayan mountain peak known as Black Top, where hundreds of Indian army tents are stationed on the horizon.