Two separate avalanches buried 10 Indian soldiers in Kashmir on the day that India displayed its military might in New Delhi’s Rajpath during its Republic Day parade. An avalanche struck an army camp near the border with Pakistan yesterday evening in which several soldiers were trapped, an Indian Army official said.
An local police officer, Zulfikar Azad, said that 10 bodies have so far been recovered. Earlier, the Army had said that two avalanches had also hit army posts and patrols in north Kashmir on January 25 and 26.
“The search operation enabled the rescue of one JCO and six soldiers while the bodies of three soldiers could only be retrieved this morning near the Gurez army camp,” an army official of the Indian Army’s Northern Command said.
The official said another avalanche hit a patrol party which was on its way to a post in Gurez sector yesterday evening. “Rescue teams were able to retrieve three bodies from the spot while some soldiers are still missing,” the official said. The army said the exact number of missing soldiers was not yet known as the area continued to receive snowfall which is hampering ongoing operations.
On Wednesday, an army officer was also buried in an avalanche in Sonamarg in Ganderbal district while six civilians died in another avalanche in Gurez sector.
