Soldier goes missing after avalanche hits Kargil

JAMMU: A soldier has been missing since an avalanche hit an army post on Line of Control (LoC) in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir.

"An avalanche triggered by a mild earthquake hit an army post located at an altitude of 17,500 feet in Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir at about 10.45pm on March 17 and two soldiers who were on surveillance duty were washed away," army's Northern Command spokesperson Col. SD Goswami said on Saturday, adding that rescue operations were launched and one of them was rescued.

"One soldier could be rescued, while the second soldier is still missing.The rescued soldier is medically stable and is recovering. Rescue operations to locate the missing soldier are currently on in spite of the adverse weather conditions," he added.

Ten soldiers were killed in an avalanche on the Siachen Glacier last month.

Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who was rescued and later rushed to the Army's Research and Referral Hospital (R&R) in the national capital, could not be saved despite efforts taken to revive him.