Body of another jawan recovered, avalanche toll rises to 3

DEHRADUN: The toll in Monday night avalanche at Siyalekh checkpost on India-China border in Uttarakhand today rose to three with the recovery of the body of another Army jawan today by a rescue team.

Body of signal man Sahab Singh, who hailed from Haryana, was recovered from under huge accumulation of snow near the checkpost after an Army team resumed its search operation this morning, Pithoragarh District Magistrate Sushil Kumar said.

Bodies of Havaldar Sanstosh Chand and constable Pradip Singh, both from Pithoragarh district, had been recovered yesterday itself, he said.

Five jawans who sustained injuries in the avalanche but were rescued yesterday have been brought to Pithoragarh military hospital for treatment, he said.

All the eight jawans belonged to the Kumaon Scouts of the Indian Army deployed at Siyalekh checkpost on India-China border in Pithoragarh district.

Two Army jawans had been killed and another had gone missing on Monday night when a snow avalanche triggered by incessant rains and heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of Uttarakhand hills hit Siyalekh checkpost.

Hampered by bad weather yesterday the search and rescue operations were resumed this morning in search of the missing jawan who has now been found, the DM said.