ISLAMABAD, April 7 (AFP) An avalanche smashed into a Pakistan army camp Saturday burying at least 100 soldiers in the area on the de facto border with India billed as the world's highest battleground, the military said.
Troops with sniffer dogs, aided by helicopters, were frantically trying to find signs of life in the deep snow after the avalanche engulfed the remote camp in mountainous Gayari, Siachen, in disputed Kashmir.
A team of doctors and paramedics has also been rushed to the high-altitude region, which suffers extreme weather conditions -- temperatures on the Siachen glacier plummet to minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94F).
“More than 100 soldiers of NLI (Northern Light Infantry) including a colonel were trapped when the avalanche hit a military camp,” army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP.
“The rescue mission is continuing and rescuers are trying to rescue the soldiers.”India in 1984 occupied the key areas on the Siachen glacier, including the heights, and Pakistan immediately responded by deploying its own forces. They fought a fierce battle in 1987, raising fears of all-out conflict. |
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