Six persons, including four soldiers and two porters, were killed in an avalanche in the Siachen Glacier on Monday.
An avalanche hit Army positions in the Siachen Glacier after which eight personnel are stuck under the snow. The avalanche had hit the Army positions in the northern glacier at around 3:30 pm today. The altitudes in the northern glacier are around 18,000 feet and above, according to sources quoted by news agency ANI.
The Army personnel hit by the avalanche were part of a patrolling party consisting of eight persons and were in the northern glacier when the incident happened.
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Sources said that the patrolling party, including porters, were evacuating another person who had fallen sick at his post.
Despite best efforts, six persons -- four soldiers and two civilian porters -- succumbed to extreme hypothermia, officials said.
Siachen Glacier is the world's highest battlefield and more troops have been killed in weather and terrain-related incidents in the area than in enemy firing. India has deployed troops in its territory since 1984 after Pakistan tried to usurp the glacier by sending its troops and mountaineering expeditions in the area.
Avalanches and landslides are common at the glacier during the winters and temperatures can drop to as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius.
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(Agencies)
