Soldier being flown from Siachen Glacier to Delhi hospital

Jammu, Feb 9: Lance Naik Hanaman Thappa, who was miraculously found alive after remaining buried in snow for six days, was on Tuesday evacuated to the army's base camp at the Siachin Glacier from where he is being flown to Delhi's Research and Referral Hospital in a special air ambulance.

He will be brought to the Palam technical airport and airlifted to the hospital, army sources said.

Thappa, who hails from Karnataka, was found alive on Monday, Feb 8 after being 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 where the temperature was minus 45 degrees Celsius.

The other nine personnel at the post, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and eight other ranks of Madras Regiment, have died, according to Lt Gen D S Hooda, Northern Army Commander.

"Five bodies have been recovered so far and four bodies have been identified," he has said.

PTI