The Pakistani military was today to relaunch rescue efforts to find survivors after an avalanche engulfed an army camp high in the mountains of Kashmir, leaving up to 135 people feared dead.
The search on the Siachen Glacier, where Pakistani and Indian troops face off on what is known as the world’s highest battlefield, was called off late Saturday because of darkness and poor weather.
No survivors had been found after an all-day search involving more than 150 soldiers, sniffer dogs, and helicopters of the avalanche site that covered an area of one-square kilometre (a third of a square mile).
The military said in a statement that 135 people were missing from the camp after Saturday’s disaster, including 124 soldiers.
A tailor and two hairdressers were among civilians buried as the avalanche hit the militarised region, which is close to the de facto border with India in the Muslim-majority Kashmir region, over which India and Pakistan have fought two wars.
After 12 hours of searching on Saturday, army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP that, contrary to local media reports, no bodies or survivors had been found.
Heavy machinery to assist with rescue efforts has been transported to the far-flung and deeply inhospitable area, a security official said. A team of doctors and paramedics were also rushed to the region after the avalanche.
The avalanche struck early on Saturday morning, a military statement said, raising the possibility that the buried soldiers were asleep at the time.
There are a number of christians too in the Army, you SOB. The management of this paper should be taken to task for letting your remark pass through the moderator.
As we move from search and rescue to search and recover phase, let us prey for the departed souls. It is also time to reflect on this conflict. We were caught sleeping.! If our military intelligence of the day was more focussed on it,s main function rather than on poltics this could have been prevented. This happened under a military regime. Let us not blame the Indians! They exploited our siesta. Since then we have been paying a heavy price. They occupy the heights and invite us to take the peaks back if we can?
@Dr M M Khan:
I wish you could have gone there and seen the ground realities with your own eyes before giving any such comments.
Are you misunderstanding me or disputing the facts.? Just to explain further it was tourist climbers who bumped into the indian soldiers. This is how our military came to know about the indian occupation. I have written nothing which should offend you.The facts speak for themselves. When i used the sentence"caught sleeping" i did not mean it literally but metaphorically. As far the ground realities are concerned i have worked in –37celsius and know how cold it can be!
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