Avalanche strikes Siachen base camp at 12,000 feet; three soldiers killed

SRINAGAR: Three soldiers died in an avalanche in Siachen, the world's highest battlefield. The avalanche fell on the base camp located at an altitude of 12,000 feet. Three soldiers who were at the base camp got trapped under the snow. According to national media reports, two of the deceased were agniveers. The bodies of all three soldiers, including the agniveers, were recovered by the rescue operation team.

Two soldiers died in Siachen in 2021 as well. Four soldiers lost their lives in a massive avalanche in 2019. Ten soldiers died in an avalanche in February 2016. Lance Naik Hanumanthappa survived the accident but later succumbed to his injuries.

Soldiers guard the country by fighting enemies and nature at the same time on the world's highest battlefield. The high altitude makes it difficult to access oxygen. The avalanche in Siachen today comes after heavy rains and other damage in Kashmir in the past few days. Apart from Jammu and Kashmir, the states of Uttarakhand and Punjab have also been hit by rains.