10 soldiers feared killed after avalanche hits army post in Siachen

Updated: Thursday, February 4, 2016, 11:32 [IST]

Jammu, Feb 4: At least ten army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were feared killed under a mass of snow after an avalanche hit a military post at Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir.

The 10 soldiers from the Madras Regiment were deployed at the section-level post at an altitude of 19,600-feet on the Northern Glacier.

"The alarm was sounded when radio communication with the post was lost after it got buried under the avalanche," an officer was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

"The rescue operation, with specialized teams and Cheetah, Dhruv and Mi-17 helicopters of the Army and IAF deployed from Siachen base camp as well as Leh and Thoise, was launched as swiftly as possible. But to no avail till now," he added.