Srinagar: Five soldiers went missing after avalanches hit two Army posts near the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir, police said on Tuesday.
Two soldiers went missing in Kupwara district’s Nowgam sector on Monday evening and three others disappeared on Tuesday morning in Bandipora district’s Gurez sector, they added.
Three army jawans went missing at Mani Post Baktoor Gurez sector of Line of Control (LoC) in Bandipora district due to a snow avalanche.
According to the sources, three soldiers of army’s 36 RR unit stationed at Baktore are missing since last night after an avalanche hit their camp.
“Two soldiers slipped down the slope in Naugam Sector and three soldiers went missing from a forward post in Kanzalwan Sub-Sector (Gurez Sector) during heavy snowfall in last 24 hours,” defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said.
More than five feet deep snow had accumulated in Gurez due to the heavy snowfall that started on Monday evening, the officer added.
In another incident in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district two soldiers went missing after an avalanche hit their camp.
Reports said that two army men belonging to 20 Dogra came under an avalanche in Nowgam secotor of Kupwara near LoC.
Kalia said that a rescue operation has been launched to trace the missing army soldiers. “The search and rescue operations are underway,” he said.
On Sunday evening, both MeT department and Snow Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) had warned about avalanches in the upper regions of the Valley.
Early in January this year at least 24 people lost their lives when four snow avalanches hit Gurez.
A series of four avalanches that claimed the lives of 24 persons, including 20 soldiers and four civilians in Gurez area of north Kashmir hit the area on the evening of 25 January 2017.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, issued weather advisory, in the aftermath of rains and snowfall in the district, which asked locals in Gurez and Tulail areas not to venture in avalanche prone areas till the weather conditions become favourable.
The DC also asked the SDM Gurez to take all precautionary measures in coordination with the concerned Departments for safeguard of the general public.
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