Ten Army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer, went missing after a massive avalanche hit a forward post in Northern Siachen Glacier at a height of 19,600 feet in the wee hours of Wednesday. They are feared dead.
Defence sources in the region claimed the 10-member Army post was completely washed out in the avalanche. Rescue operations by specialised teams of the Army and the Air Force were launched, but to no avail. Till late on Wednesday, the teams had failed to establish any contact with the soldiers buried under the thick layer of snow.
Udhampur-based spokesman of Ministry of Defence Colonel SD Goswami said, “A major avalanche struck an Indian Army post in Northern Siachen Glacier located at a height of 19,600 feet in the early hours of Wednesday.”
As many as 869 Indian Army personnel have lost their lives in the Siachen Glacier due to climatic conditions and other factors since the Army launched Operation Meghdoot to take control of the strategically vital glacier in 1984.
In a recent incident, four soldiers were killed by an avalanche in January. Total casualties since 1984 include 33 officers, 54 Junior Commissioned Officers and 782 of other ranks.
Most of the deaths took place due to extreme weather conditions with temperatures below minus 30 degrees Celsius, avalanches and patrolling parties falling into crevasses.
Incidentally, the death rate is more or less the same for the Pakistan Army, which saw 100 of its soldiers buried alive in an avalanche in Siachen three years back. Their bodies are yet to be recovered.
A Brigade (4,000 soldiers) is deployed at Siachen and the average stint of a unit is not more than three months given the extreme weather and terrain. The troops are deployed at a height ranging from 15,000 to 24,000 feet where the farthest most post is located. In fact, this post is logistically supported by helicopters which supply food, kerosene and other essential items at regular intervals.
Explaining the standard operating procedure while patrolling in Siachen, officials said a group of 10 to 12 soldiers tied to each other with a rope performs its duty. In case one or two soldiers in the lead fall down in a crevasse, the rest of the team members dig in with axes and try to rescue their trapped colleagues till help arrives.