Body of missing soldier found in Kokernag, search continues for another

Security forces found the body of a soldier in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Thursday, while a search operation to locate another missing soldier entered its third day, officials said here.

The body of one of the two soldiers who went missing on Tuesday was found from the Gadole forests in the Kokernag area of Anantnag, the officials said, adding that a preliminary examination suggests that he died of hypothermia.

They said searches to track the other missing soldier are ongoing but dense vegetation, rough terrain and inclement weather continue to hinder the efforts.

The soldiers, both commandos of an elite para unit, went missing during a combing operation at Kokernag on Tuesday. The operation was launched two days ago in the Ahlan Gadole area, following inputs that terrorists were hiding there, the officials said.

According to the officials, the two soldiers went missing after their communication line went out. Helicopters were pressed into aerial reconnaissance to locate the commandos. The Srinagar-based Chinar Corps unit of the Army said the operational team was caught in a severe snowstorm.

"On the intervening night of October 6 and 7, an operational team on the Kishtwar range confronted a severe snowstorm and whiteout conditions in the mountains of southern Kashmir. Since then, two soldiers have gone out of communication," the Chinar Corps said in a post on X on Wednesday.

"Intense search and rescue operations have been launched but hampered due to prevailing adverse weather conditions," it added.