Mumbai dabbawalas pray for soldier who survived avalanche

Mumbai, Feb 10: Mumbai Dabbawalas today prayed for army man Hanumanthappa Koppad, who was miraculously found alive after remaining under a huge mass of snow for six days at Siachen Glacier.

At an event in Parel here, the dabbawalas displayed placards saying "Lord, grant Hanumanthappa long life".

"We have prayed for his health and well being. We are in awe of the grit and determination he showed while under ice," a dabbawala said.

They said he is a highly-motivated soldier. Meanwhile, CM Devendra Fadnavis also wished the soldier a speedy recovery.

"Maharashtra salutes the spirit and valour of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa and wishes him a speedy recovery," Fadnavis tweeted.

Hanumanthappa, who hails from Karnataka, was found alive on Monday, buried under 25 feet of snow for six days after an avalanche hit his post at the altitude of 19,600 feet close to the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan.

The temperature at that altitude was minus 45 degrees Celsius. Nine other personnel at the post, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), of Madras Regiment have died.

PTI