10 soldiers missing in Siachen

Avalanche strikes Army post at a height of 19,600 ft

Ten soldiers went missing after an avalanche hit an Army post in Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield.

“In the early hours of February 3, a major avalanche struck an Army post in northern Siachen Glacier located at a height of 19,600 feet. The post was manned by one junior commissioned officer and nine soldiers,” said Col S D Goswami, defence public relations officer at Udhampur-based Northern Command.

Rescue operations by specialised teams from the Army and Air Force is underway and the operations are being closely monitored from Leh and Udhampur, he said.

As the operations are on, officials are not providing any details about the men and the unit.

This is the second major incident in Siachen in the last two months. Last month, four men from 3 Ladakh Scouts were killed in an avalanche in the southern glacier in Siachen, where India occupies the dominating heights since 1984.

In November, a Captain was killed while 15 men were rescued when avalanche hit an Army post at Siachen glacier. Both Indian and Pakistani troops are suffering heavy casualties at Siachen due to avalanches every year.