Siachen braveheart Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad passes away

NEW DELHI: Siachen braveheart Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad died today, three days after he was miraculously rescued alive from beneath tonnes of snow following an avalanche that hit his post in Siachen Glacier at an height of 19,600 feet.

"Lance Naik Hanamanthappa is no more. He breathed his last at 11:45 AM today," a senior army official said.

The 33-year-old soldier of the 19th Battalion of Madras Regiment is survived by his wife Mahadevi Ashok Bilebal and two-year-old daughter Netra Koppad.

A resident of village Betadur in Dharwad district of Karnataka, Koppad had joined the army 13 years back.

The condition of Koppad, who was admitted to Army Research and Referral Hospital here on February 9, had deteriorated yesterday.

Dubbed as the 'miracle man', the soldier had managed to stay alive for six days buried under the snow after an avalanche struck their post on February 3.

His condition was reviewed by a team of doctors comprising critical care specialists, the HoD Dept of Medicine, a senior nephrologist, a senior neurologist of the army hospital and a panel of experts from AIIMS yesterday.