Avalanche in Siachen kills 6 Armymen, 1 missing

Six Armymen were killed and one remains missing after an Army post in Siachen sector in Ladakh was buried under an avalanche early Sunday morning. Rescue operations had to be abandoned due to adverse weather conditions.

All the Army personnel killed belonged to the Assam Regiment.

Confirming the deaths, defence spokesman J S Brar said: "At 6.15 am, our posts at a height of over 17,000 feet came under an avalanche in sub-sector Hanif, in Turtuk area of Siachen. Immediately avalanche rescue teams along with avalanche rescue dogs were launched. Six jawans unfortunately lost their lives. Their remains have been recovered. One jawan is still missing."

An avalanche had hit a Pakistani army camp in the glacier area last year, killing over 100 troops.

Meanwhile, the Disaster Management Cell in Kashmir has issued an avalanche warning in the upper reaches of the Valley, including Banihal, Chowkibal, Tangdhar, Machil, Keran, Gurez, Sonamarg, Drass and higher reaches of Kargil and Gulmarg.

Amir Ali, the coordinator, Disaster Management Cell of Kashmir, said that people living in snow-bound areas above 2,500 metres had been advised not to venture on to steep avalanche-prone slopes. "People have been advised to keep cleaning the snow from the roofs of their houses to avoid any casualty due to roof collapse," he said.

The upper reaches of the Valley have been receiving moderate to heavy snowfall for the past few days, triggering avalanches at many places.

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