One soldier went missing when an avalanche hit an army post in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.
The avalanche, triggered by a mild earthquake, hit an army post located at an altitude of 17,500 feet in Kargil sector at about 2245 hours on March 17 (Thursday), an army officer said on Saturday night.
The two soldiers, who were on surveillance duty, were swept away in the avalanche, the officer said.
Immediate rescue operations were launched and one soldier was rescued, he said, adding, the second soldier is still missing.
The rescued soldier is medically stable and recovering.
Operations to rescue the missing soldier are underway in spite of the adverse weather conditions, he said.
As of 11 am on Sunday, the missing solider is yet to be rescued.
Kargil Avalanche update: Status of rescued soldier stable. 1 soldier yet to be rescued, avalanche rescue teams working to trace the soldier
— ANI (@ANI_news) March 20, 2016
This is the second such incident in the recent past.
On February 3, an 800 x 400 ft wall of ice broke off and buried an Indian Army post on the Siachen glacier, the world’s highest battlefield. The debris, including massive boulders of ice the size of a small room, were spread over 800 x 1000 metres.
Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, who was buried under tonnes of ice at 19,500 ft on the Siachen glacier for six days, miraculously survived. However, despite being airlifted to Delhi and undergoing treatment, he passed away a few days later.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to news of the avalanche:
Goodnight folks,celebrate the victory & pray for the Indian Soldier who went missing after the avalanche in Kargil today.Pray he is alive.
— $ir $ri $ri Magal (@jhunjhunwala) March 19, 2016
While we’re all enjoying the match, a soldier has gone missing after avalanche hit Army post in Kargil. Rescue operations underway. #Respect
— Priti Gandhi (@MrsGandhi) March 19, 2016
My prayers are for the soldier gone missing in Kargil after an avalanche. #IndianArmy
— Pranav Mehta (@PranavMehta12) March 20, 2016
Avalanche in Kargil. Rain in Kolkata, Eden Garden. Tense moment at the borders & on field #nature,the ultimate #gamechanger
— Rajashree Basu (@BasuRajashree) March 19, 2016
1 Jawan missing after avalanche hits army post in Kargil, rescue operation on https://t.co/ejenPWTPwT
Maa Durga will save him— @Rudra (@sarkarminty1993) March 20, 2016