A snow avalanche hit an Army post in north Kashmir’s Macchil sector killing three soldiers and injuring another on Friday afternoon. The quick rescue operation recovered the soldiers but one of them died shortly after the rescue while two others succumbed to their injuries on way to Army base hospital in Srinagar.
Sources said the post of 21 Rajput Regiment was struck by the avalanche around 4.30 pm, in Sonapindi Gali area, one of the infiltration-prone pockets along the line of Control (loC).
Earlier, the provincial authorities had issued medium-danger avalanche warning in the upper reaches of Kashmir following predictions of inclement weather.
“In an unfortunate incident of avalanche in Machil sector today, the Army lost three valiant soldiers,” defence spokesperson said in a brief statement in Srinagar.
The surviving soldier was shifted to 92 base hospital for treatment. His condition is reported stable.
The deceased soldiers have been identified as Havaldar Kamlesh Kumar, Niak Balbeer and Sepoy Rajinder.
This is second major accident due to avalanches in north Kashmir. Earlier in the first week of January, eleven people, including a Border Roads Organisation officer and a year-old baby girl died when snow avalanches hit at two places in Tangdhar area of Kupwara.