At least eight Indian army soldiers have gone missing since Monday afternoon after a massive avalanche hit an Indian army camp in northern Siachen. The area is called as world’s highest battlefield as it is where Indian and Pakistani soldiers guard their country’s borders at sub-zero temperature. The Indian army said that a massive search and rescue operation is ongoing.
The incident took place at an altitude close to 20,000 feet on Siachen glacier. The Indian army says that its troops were attempting to rescue someone who had fallen sick at around 3pm local time.
This is the second incident when an avalanche has struck near the Pakistani border. Kashmir has been witnessing heavy snowfall since the beginning of this month, and at least two civilians working as porters for the Indian Army were killed in an avalanche in the Indian-administered Kashmir border district of Kupwara on 7 November.
Last year, over 20 people were killed in avalanches in Kashmir valley, which has faced unprecedented levels of snowfall that have completely disrupted communications for over two months.