Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Army Chief Dalbir Singh express grief over soldiers' death in Siachen avalanche

NEW DELHI: Vice-President Hamid Ansari has expressed grief over the death of 10 army personnel in an avalanche on Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir.

"I am deeply grieved to learn about the fatal avalanche in the Siachen involving 10 of our army personnel," the Vice President Ansari said in a statement.

"I offer my sincere condolences to the bereaved families of the brave soldiers and officer of the Indian Army," he said.

The 10 personnel, including an officer, were buried under a mass of snow after being hit by an avalanche on Wednesday at a high-altitude post on Siachen Glacier. The personnel were attached to Madras regiment.

Extending condolences to the bereaved families, the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Dalbir Singh, ordered deployment of additional resources, including radars to reinforce rescue efforts, an official said.

Army and IAF had taken part in efforts to rescue the soldiers, who were trapped under snow after their post was hit by the avalanche at an altitude of 19,000 feet close to the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan.