An Avalanche Struck A High Altitude Military Outpost On the Siachen Glacier In The Karakorum Range Of The Himalayas | 10 Indian Soldiers Missing and Now Declared Dead
UPDATE 2/8: Indian Soldier Survives 6 Days Buried 25′ Deep After Avalanche Hits Military Outpost In Kashmir
Kashmir, India – In the early morning hours of Wednesday, February 3, 2016 a massive avalanche struck an army outpost at 19,600′ (5974 m) on the Northern Siachen Glacier of Ladakh in Indian controlled Kashmir in the Karakorum Range of the Himalaya.
The avalanche took out a high altitude Indian military bunker. At this point, 10 Indian soldiers are missing and feared dead. The bunker was manned by a 10-man crew including a Junior Commissioned Officer and nine other troops from the 19th Madras regiment.
Army and Indian Air Force rescue crews responded to the scene by helicopter with search dogs, but have not been able to recover any of the missing soldiers yet.
The Siachen Glacier lies between the Saltoro Ridge and the main Karakorum range. This region is often referred to as the world’s highest battlefield and is patrolled by both Indian and Pakistani troops. The countries have had a militarized dispute over the region’s sovereignty since 1984 when Indian launched Operation Meghdoot. According to UK.Reuters.com “the inhospitable climate and avalanche-prone terrain have claimed more lives than gunfire.”
We will try to update this post as more information becomes available.
UPDATE 2/4: The Indian Army has declared the missing soldiers dead – IndianExpress.com
_________________________________________________________
Read more about the avalanche on Siachen Glacier in Indian Kashmir from these sources:
- BBC
- ZeeNews
- GreaterKashmir.com
- UK.Reuters.com
- TimesOfIndia.com
- DailyExcelsior.com
- IndianExpress.com
_________________________________________________________
On January 3, 2016, four Indian soldiers on foot patrol died in on Siachen Glacier in an avalanche.
