Avalanche kills soldiers
Srinagar, Feb. 8: Seventeen soldiers, including an officer, were killed and as many injured after an avalanche struck an elite army institute that imparts snow-warfare training in Kashmir’s Gulmarg this morning.
The tragedy, one of the worst natural disasters to have hit the army in the Valley, at the High Altitude Warfare School occurred despite an avalanche warning by a defence ministry unit last evening, when it had started snowing heavily in Kashmir.
“An army officer, Lieutenant Prateek, and 16 other soldiers died, while 17 were injured. (But) our barracks and other complexes are safe and they were not affected by the avalanche. All personnel have been accounted for. A brigadier is overseeing the rescue operations,” army spokesperson Lt Colonel J.S. Brar said in Srinagar.
Another officer said there were around 70 trainees and trainers, some having tea and others pitching tents, when a portion of a snow-clad mountain caved in around 11am at Khilanmarg (a site some distance from the main campus). I think it is the first time that an avalanche has struck the school since it was founded in 1948,” he added. Khilanmarg is in the upper reaches of the world-famous ski resort of Gulmarg, located at over 10,000 feet.
The officer said there were more than 400 trainees at the school, but most were not the part of the team that met with the tragedy. “Some of the jawans are critical and they have been sent to hospitals, some to Srinagar,” he added…..
