Fresh avalanche hits Army post in Kupwara, 5 soldiers feared trapped

Srinagar [India], Jan. 28 (ANI): A fresh avalanche hit an Army post today in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, in which five soldiers are feared to be trapped in the snow. Massive rescue operations were launched immediately to rescue the trapped Army personnel. The five soldiers of a patrol were immediately trapped as the snow track caved in. This comes in the wake of the two separate avalanches in Gurez and Sonmarg on Wednesday, in which two soldiers lost their lives. Two ghastly avalanches had hit an army camp in Gurez sector of Bandipora district near the Line of Control and the Army camp of 115 Battalion at Sonmarg in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district respectively. While an avalanche hit a patrol party which was on its way to a post in Gurez sector on Wednesday night, the other hit two shelters occupied by two officers and four jawans. The number of soldiers who died in the avalanches in the Gurez valley rose to 14 as four more bodies were recovered after the weather improved on Friday morning. Fifteen soldiers have lost their lives in three major avalanches in Ganderbal and Bandipora since January 25. Earlier, local authorities had issued a high danger avalanche warning for the hilly areas of Kashmir valley for the next 24 hours. An official spokesman said the warning has been issued for avalanche-prone slopes of Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Kulgam and Budgam and Kargil district of Kashmir division. Deputy Commissioners of Kashmir division, including Leh and Kargil, have been asked to take precautionary measures in their districts and advised people not to venture in avalanche-prone areas. Locals have also been asked to keep clearing snow deposits from roof tops of their houses and bunkers to avoid any damage. (ANI)