Jammu: The body of missing Army jawan Vijay Kumar, who was swept away by an avalanche at an altitude of about 17500 feet in Kargil sector on Thursday, has been recovered from under 12 feet of snow.
"Army rescue teams have recovered the mortal remains of Sepoy Vijay Kumar K. from under 12 feet of snow," Colonel S.D. Goswami, spokesman of the army's Udhampur-headquartered Northern Command, said.
The soldier was buried under an avalanche in the Kargil sector on the Line of Control on March 17. Sepoy Sujit, who was rescued on the first day itself, is stable and recovering well.
"Avalanche rescue dogs, deep penetration radars and metal detectors were pressed into service during the rescue operation, that continued for three days despite adverse weather conditions and up to 15 feet snow in the area," he said.
The deceased soldier from Vallaramapuram village in Thirunelvelli district of Tamil Nadu is survived by his parents and two younger sisters. The army is in the process of evacuating Vijay's mortal remains from the area, which will be sent to the soldier's native place for cremation with full military honours.
Lieutenant General DS Hooda of the Northern Command has expressed condolences to the bereaved family.
The incident occurred one-and-a-half months after 10 soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), were killed when a massive avalanche buried their post at an altitude of 19,600 feet in Siachen, the world's highest battlefield.
This is the third incident in the last two months in which an avalanche hit the Indian army in the Ladakh region.
