6 soldiers dead, 60 trapped in Kashmir avalanche

Rescue operations were under way at Gulmarg, a ski resort about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of Srinagar, the main city in Indian Kashmir, said Col. Vineet Sood, an Indian army spokesman in Srinagar.

Sood said the avalanche hit a training center of the army's High Altitude Warfare School, or HAWS, around 11 a.m. and swept away soldiers during a training session.

"We have activated all resources to rescue the buried soldiers," he said.

Farooq Ahmed, a top police officer in Kashmir, said the casualties could rise and joint rescue teams of police, army and tourism officials had reached the spot.

Frequent rain and heavy snowfall trigger avalanches and landslides in Kashmir, blocking roads and cutting off tourist resorts like Gulmarg. Gulmarg is also close to the Line of Control, a highly militarized cease-fire line dividing the Himalayan region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

The claim over Kashmir has caused two wars between the archrivals since they became independent from Britain in 1947. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are posted along either side of the Line of Control.

Incessant snowfall and rain were hampering the rescue operations, Sood said.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email