4 soldiers, 2 porters killed in avalanche at Siachen

New Delhi, November 18

Six persons, including four soldiers and two civilian porters, were killed after a team of Indian Army personnel patrolling the Siachen Glacier was struck by an avalanche in Ladakh on Monday.

A group of eight persons, including six soldiers from one of the battalions of the Dogra Regiment, was patrolling the area when the avalanche hit them at an altitude of 19,000 feet. The incident occurred around 3 pm in the northern part of the glacier.

A spokesperson for the Northern Command said avalanche rescue teams from nearby posts were rushed to the location for rescue work. All eight personnel were pulled out of the avalanche debris and taken to the nearest military hospital accompanied by medical teams. The four soldiers and two porters succumbed to extreme hypothermia, said Col Rajesh Kalia, Srinagar-based spokesperson for the Indian Army.

Siachen is the world’s highest battlefield and more soldiers have been killed in weather and terrain-related incidents in the area than in enemy firing. Indian soldiers have been deployed there since 1984, after Pakistan tried to usurp the glacier by sending soldiers and mountaineering expeditions in the area. In February 2016, 10 soldiers were killed in an avalanche. — TNS

Two survive the tragedy

A group of eight, including six soldiers from the Dogra Regiment, were on a patrol when the avalanche struck them at an altitude of 19,000 feet. Two soldiers were lucky to survive the calamity.