<p>The Indian Army has found the bodies of all its seven soldiers, who were hit by an avalanche while patrolling along the disputed boundary between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh last Sunday.</p>.<p>The bodies of the deceased soldiers were retrieved and transferred from the avalanche site to the nearest army medical facility for further formalities, sources in New Delhi said.</p>.<p>The avalanche struck the Indian Army soldiers when they were out for patrol at an altitude of 14,500 feet along the disputed India-China boundary in Kameng Sector of Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday. The area has been witnessing inclement weather with heavy snowfall over the past few days. A search and rescue operation was launched immediately. Specialised teams were also airlifted to assist in the operation, which continued despite unrelenting snowfall that made the task of finding the missing soldiers difficult.</p>.<p>The soldiers struck by the avalanche could not be saved though. The search and rescue operation concluded with the recovery of the bodies of the seven soldiers at the site of the avalanche.</p>.<p>“Deeply pained by the demise of Indian Army personnel who were struck by an avalanche in Kemang Sector, Arunachal Pradesh,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted. “These brave soldiers lost their lives while serving the nation. I salute their courage and service. My heartfelt condolences to their bereaved families.”</p>.<p>The Indian Army had lost 12 soldiers due to natural calamities in 2014, followed by 24 in 2015. Ten soldiers had died on February 3, 2016 when an avalanche had hit the Indian Army post in the Siachen Glacier – the world’s highest battleground, where India and Pakistan had been embroiled in a territorial row. Twelve other soldiers had died due to natural calamities elsewhere in the country that year. Altogether 15 soldiers had died in two avalanches in Gurez Sector in Jammu and Kashmir on January 25 in 2017.</p>.<p>Four Indian Army soldiers and two porters had died in an avalanche in Siachen Glacier on November 18, 2019. At least 11 other soldiers had died in avalanches or snow-slides in other high altitude areas that year. Two soldiers had died when an avalanched had hit a patrolling team of the Indian Army in Sikkim in In May 2020. Five Indian Navy personnel had been killed when they had been caught in an avalanche on Mount Trishul in Uttarakhand during an expedition.</p>.<p>The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on November 15, 2020 merged its two institutions – Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment and Defence Terrain Research Laboratory – to set up Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE) for development of critical technologies for enhancing combat effectiveness with a focus on terrain and avalanches. The DGRE has the mandate to map, forecast, monitor, control and mitigate landslides and avalanches in Indian Himalayas.</p>.<p>The DGRE has five Research & Development Centres – one each at Manali (Himachal Pradesh), Delhi, Tejpur (Assam), Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh) and Lachung (Sikkim). It also has three Mountain Meteorological Centres (MMCs) at Srinagar (J&K), Auli (Uttrakhand) and Sasoma in Ladakh.</p>.<p>The Indian Army stepped up vigil along the disputed India-China boundary in Arunachal Pradesh over the past few months and continued intense patrolling even during the winter season – apparently anticipating that the tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the de facto boundary between the two nations in the western sector – could extend to the middle and the eastern sectors too.</p>.<p>The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are currently engaged in a stand-off along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. The stand-off started in April-May 2020, although prolonged negotiations led to mutual withdrawal of front-line troops by the two sides from both banks of Pangong Tso and Gogra Post last year, they could not resolve it at other locations along the LAC.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>
<p>The Indian Army has found the bodies of all its seven soldiers, who were hit by an avalanche while patrolling along the disputed boundary between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh last Sunday.</p>.<p>The bodies of the deceased soldiers were retrieved and transferred from the avalanche site to the nearest army medical facility for further formalities, sources in New Delhi said.</p>.<p>The avalanche struck the Indian Army soldiers when they were out for patrol at an altitude of 14,500 feet along the disputed India-China boundary in Kameng Sector of Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday. The area has been witnessing inclement weather with heavy snowfall over the past few days. A search and rescue operation was launched immediately. Specialised teams were also airlifted to assist in the operation, which continued despite unrelenting snowfall that made the task of finding the missing soldiers difficult.</p>.<p>The soldiers struck by the avalanche could not be saved though. The search and rescue operation concluded with the recovery of the bodies of the seven soldiers at the site of the avalanche.</p>.<p>“Deeply pained by the demise of Indian Army personnel who were struck by an avalanche in Kemang Sector, Arunachal Pradesh,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted. “These brave soldiers lost their lives while serving the nation. I salute their courage and service. My heartfelt condolences to their bereaved families.”</p>.<p>The Indian Army had lost 12 soldiers due to natural calamities in 2014, followed by 24 in 2015. Ten soldiers had died on February 3, 2016 when an avalanche had hit the Indian Army post in the Siachen Glacier – the world’s highest battleground, where India and Pakistan had been embroiled in a territorial row. Twelve other soldiers had died due to natural calamities elsewhere in the country that year. Altogether 15 soldiers had died in two avalanches in Gurez Sector in Jammu and Kashmir on January 25 in 2017.</p>.<p>Four Indian Army soldiers and two porters had died in an avalanche in Siachen Glacier on November 18, 2019. At least 11 other soldiers had died in avalanches or snow-slides in other high altitude areas that year. Two soldiers had died when an avalanched had hit a patrolling team of the Indian Army in Sikkim in In May 2020. Five Indian Navy personnel had been killed when they had been caught in an avalanche on Mount Trishul in Uttarakhand during an expedition.</p>.<p>The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on November 15, 2020 merged its two institutions – Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment and Defence Terrain Research Laboratory – to set up Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE) for development of critical technologies for enhancing combat effectiveness with a focus on terrain and avalanches. The DGRE has the mandate to map, forecast, monitor, control and mitigate landslides and avalanches in Indian Himalayas.</p>.<p>The DGRE has five Research & Development Centres – one each at Manali (Himachal Pradesh), Delhi, Tejpur (Assam), Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh) and Lachung (Sikkim). It also has three Mountain Meteorological Centres (MMCs) at Srinagar (J&K), Auli (Uttrakhand) and Sasoma in Ladakh.</p>.<p>The Indian Army stepped up vigil along the disputed India-China boundary in Arunachal Pradesh over the past few months and continued intense patrolling even during the winter season – apparently anticipating that the tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the de facto boundary between the two nations in the western sector – could extend to the middle and the eastern sectors too.</p>.<p>The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are currently engaged in a stand-off along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. The stand-off started in April-May 2020, although prolonged negotiations led to mutual withdrawal of front-line troops by the two sides from both banks of Pangong Tso and Gogra Post last year, they could not resolve it at other locations along the LAC.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>
