In the wake of at least 12 soldiers dying due to avalanches in the past few weeks, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag on Thursday visited Siachen glacier to take stock of the situation. He also reviewed measures taken by the local commanders to avoid avalanches and strictly adhering to standard operating procedure in case of emergency.
The Army Chief was briefed at the Siachen Base Camp about steps taken to meet the challenge of avalanches and he later overflew the forward posts including the sites of various avalanches, officials said here later. Suhag later returned to New Delhi.
Officials said the Army Chief stress on strict observance of drill and guidelines while traversing avalanche prone slopes and ordered the Siachen Battle School instructors on rendering complete and comprehensive training in executing operational tasks in the world’s highest battlefield to avoid casualties due to weather.
His visit came in the backdrop of nine soldiers of Madras Regiment dying in an avalanche in early February followed by similar incidents in Kargil and Siachen in which three more soldiers and a porter were killed. Officials said most of these tragedies took place in the higher reaches of Siachen and Kargil at the height of more than 15,000 to 16,000 feet.