2 Agniveers, sepoy killed in avalanche at Siachen

Three soldiers of the Mahar Regiment of the Army, including two Agniveers, were killed when an avalanche struck the base camp of Siachen — the highest battlefield of the world — in Ladakh.

The incident took place on Monday morning after which efforts were made to evacuate those injured and stuck in the snow. However, inclement weather delayed the smooth landing of the chopper that was sent for evacuation.

The Ladakh-based Fire and Fury Corps, in a post on X, stated, “The GOC, Fire and Fury Corps, and all ranks salute Sepoy Mohit Kumar, Agniveer Niraj Kumar Choudhary and Agniveer Dabhi Rakesh Devabhai, who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty in Siachen on September 9, and offer deep condolences to the bereaved families in this hour of grief.”

While a Captain was evacuated from the site after strenuous efforts by rescuers, the three soldiers died because of extreme cold. Their bodies were recovered on Tuesday.

Sources said the Captain, a resident of Noida, was stuck for at least five hours under the snow and was miraculously rescued. He complained of pain and swelling in a hand after which he was diagnosed with two frostbites on the left hand and nose.

While Mohit (25) was a resident of Auraiya tehsil in Uttar Pradesh, Dabhi (22) was a resident of Junagarh in Gujarat and Niraj was from Deogarh in Jharkhand.

The Army is stationed at the Siachen glacier as it is located close to the Line of Control between India and Pakistan.