Avalanche in Siachen Glacier, 8 soldiers trapped
The world's highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier is on the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas.
New Delhi
Eight soldiers are believed trapped under an avalanche that hit Siachen Glacier on Monday, a news report said.
Eight personnel operating in the Northern Sector of Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 19,000 feet were hit by an avalanche on 18 November 2019. Avalanche Rescue Teams from the nearby posts were rushed to the location for rescue work, said a defence press release.
All eight personnel were pulled out of the avalanche debris. Seven individuals who were critically injured, accompanied by medical teams, providing critical care were evacuated by helicopters to nearest Military Hospital, where all life saving resuscitative measures were instituted.
Despite best efforts six casualties, which include four soldiers and two civilian porters succumbed to extreme hypothermia, said the press release.
The world’s highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier is on the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas. The average altitude of the area is 20,000 feet, and daytime temperatures drop to minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Siachen was previously part of the united state of Jammu and Kashmir and is now in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
