Six Including Four Soldiers Killed as Avalanche Hits Army Positions in Siachen Glacier

The Army personnel hit by the avalanche were part of a patrolling team consisting of eight persons and were in the northern glacier when the incident happened.

Updated: November 18, 2019 10:53 PM IST

By India.com News Desk | Edited by Manmath Nayak

Six Including Four Soldiers Killed as Avalanche Hits Army Positions in Siachen Glacier

New Delhi: In a shocking incident, Army positions in the Siachen Glacier have been hit by an avalanche, sources at the Indian Army said on Monday.

Giving further updates about the avalanche, the Indian Army said that all 8 personnel were pulled out of avalanche debris. “Seven individuals who were critically injured, accompanied by medical teams were evacuated by helicopters to nearest Military Hospital. Six casualties; 4 soldiers and 2 civilian porters, succumbed to extreme hypothermia,” Army said in a statement.

The Army also stated that eight personnel operating in Northern Sector of Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 19,000 feet were hit by an avalanche today. “Avalanche Rescue Teams from nearby posts rushed to the location,” it stated further.

As per the updates from the Army, the rescue operation was underway in the area where the Army personnel had been stuck up in the snow due to the incident. The avalanche had taken place in the Northern Glacier where the altitude is around 18,000 feet above the sea level.

The Army said that the incident happened at around 3:30 PM on Monday. The Army personnel hit by the avalanche were part of a patrolling team consisting of eight persons and were in the northern glacier when the incident happened.

A similar avalanche had hit a village in Gurez sector of Kashmir’s Bandipora district in February this year. However, there were no reports of loss of life in the incident.

“A snow avalanche hit village Khandiyal in Gurez last night (Thursday),” officials of the Disaster Management Department had told PTI. As per officials, many many houses were damaged due to the avalanche.

Later reported suggested that five people, who were trapped in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district following an avalanche, were rescued successfully.

Notably, authorities had issued avalanche warnings for the higher reaches of the state on a regular basis after this season’s heavy snowfall in the state.

“Five persons were trapped under the snow, prompting authorities to launch a search and rescue operation. All the five people were rescued by a joint team of police and Army,” Disaster Management Department officials told PTI.

Notably, authorities had been issuing avalanche warnings for the higher reaches of the state on a regular basis after this season’s heavy snowfall in the state.

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