Mortal remains of porter recovered after 5 days of search in Siachen

New Delhi, March 02: After five days of massive search operations, the mortal remains of a civilian porter Thukjay Gyasket (40) was recovered from a crevasse in Siachen on Wednesday.

Indian Army officials said that Gyasket had slipped and fell into a deep narrow crevasse while ferrying stores between forward Army posts in Northern Glacier area on February 27.

The deceased hails from Ayee village near Sasoma in Leh District of Jammu and Kashmir.

Indian Army says that soon after the incident, Specialised Rescue Teams from the Siachen Battle School were launched.

"The search teams were undertaking relentless efforts to locate and retrieve. After three days, his mortal remains were located about 130 feet inside the narrow crevasse. After locating the body, the rescue teams moved inside the crevasse and anchored it to the ice wall to prevent it from further slipping down," says an Army spokesperson in Srinagar.

According to him, the narrow crevasse was widened so as to retrieve the body intact.

"He was a very dedicated porter and a great human being. He was always available for us. We will miss the services of this experienced soul," says an official attached to Siachen Battle School.

The mortal remains have been brought down to Hunder near Parthapur and will be handed over to the next of kin after necessary formalities. Thukjay is survived by his mother, wife and two daughters.

Ever since, the February 3 massive avalanche strike that his one of the posts killing 10 soldiers, the rescue teams were working for extended hours.

Army Commander, Northern Command Lt General D S Hooda expressed his condolences to the family of the porter and assured all assistance to the family.

The Commander also complimented the unwavering commitment of the rescue team who braved freezing temperatures to locate and retrieve the mortal remains of the dedicated porter.

Since the beginning of this year, India lost 14 soldiers in Siachen, a figure tabled by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in Rajya Sabha on March 1.

In a reply to a query, Parrikar said that the soldiers deployed at Siachen glacier are provided special winter clothing including extreme cold climate clothing which includes trousers, jackets, gloves and sun glasses to withstand extreme temperatures.

"There is a constant effort to provide more comfortable equipment to the troops based on the requirement felt and user feedback. Further, the soldiers deployed at Siachen are provided pre-fabricated insulated shelters (Fibre Reinforced Plastic) except at certain locations wherein due to terrain configuration and altitude, it is not possible to construct integrated shelters," Parrikar told Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Tuesday.

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