Avalanche strikes Army post in Machil sector along LoC, 3 soldiers killed
Three Army soldiers and five civilians were killed in two separate avalanches in Jammu and Kashmir, police and defence sources said on Tuesday.
The defence sources said three soldiers were killed and another was missing after an avalanche hit an Army post in Machil sector along the LoC on Tuesday. Five soldiers were trapped under the avalanche.
The Army launched rescue operations and traced four of the soldiers. While three of them were declared dead, another was injured and is being treated at a local military facility, the sources said.
Efforts are on to trace one missing soldier.
Another avalanche struck a village in Gagangir area of Ganderbal district in which five civilians were killed while four others were rescued, police said.
The avalanche struck on Monday night when the five civilians were passing by the area, they said. The bodies of the five have been recovered.
According to reports, a group of eight locals got buried under the snow when an avalanche hit the Kallan area of the Ganderbal district on Monday night. The rescue parties immediately swung into action and rescued three persons. However, the remaining five went missing.
Late night rescue operations discovered two bodies, and three more were recovered on Tuesday morning.
Snow avalanche also hit three residential houses in the Limber Boniyar area of the Kupwara district on Monday night.
Timely help from the Army, police and locals saved many lives, who were trapped in the said houses.
