Avalanches hit Indian army post, patrol in Kashmir; 6 killed

Published On: January 26, 2017 02:37 PM NPT By: Associated Press

Indian army soldiers stand guard on top of a vehicle near the site of a gunbattle in Bakura, 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (AP)

SRINAGAR, India, Jan 26: The Indian army says six soldiers were killed when avalanches hit a military post and a patrol along the highly militarized Line of Control that separates the Indian and Pakistani-held portions of the Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Indian army spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia said Thursday that a massive overnight avalanche buried a military post manned by 10 soldiers in the Gurez sector. He said three bodies were recovered and the seven other soldiers were rescued.

Kalia said another avalanche swept away an army patrol in the same area. Three bodies were recovered and rescuers were searching for other missing soldiers.

Avalanches and landslides are common in Kashmir and have caused some of the heaviest tolls for the Indian and Pakistani armies camped near the Line of Control.