Two Indian Army soldiers died on Saturday after they were trapped in an avalanche in southern Siachen Glacier at an altitude of approximately 18,000 feet. This is the second incident of avalanche accident in the same region in the last two weeks.
On November 18, four Army soldiers and two civilian porters died in an avalanche on Siachen’s northern sector.
Ministry of Defence Spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia in Srinagar said in a statement that an Army patrol operating at an altitude of approximately 18,000 feet in Southern Siachen glacier was hit by an avalanche during the early hours of November 30.
He said an Avalanche Rescue Team (ART) following the Army patrol team immediately rushed to the spot and managed to locate and pull out all its members.
“Simultaneously, Army helicopters were pressed into service to evacuate the avalanche victims. However, despite the best efforts by the medical teams, two Army personnel succumbed to their injuries,” the statement added.
The Army soldiers were identified as Naib Subedar Tsewang Gialshan and Rifleman Padma Norgais.
Senior officers of the Udhampur-based Northern Command headquarters of the Indian Army offered their condolences to the families of the soldiers.