7 Army Officials Hit by Avalanche in Arunachal Pradesh, Rescue Operation Underway

ITANAGAR: Seven Indian Army servicemen who were part of a patrol in the Kameng Sector of Arunachal Pradesh were struck by an avalanche.

Currently, a search and rescue operation is ongoing. Specialized crews have been brought in to help with the rescue efforts. For a few days, the area has been experiencing adverse weather, including significant snowfall.

The seven officials, who were struck by the avalanche on Sunday, are part of a patrol team, Lt Col Harsh Wardhan Pande, Public Relations Officer of Ministry of Defence in Tezpur, said.

"Specialised teams have been airlifted to assist in rescue operations, the area has been witnessing inclement weather with heavy snowfall since the last few days," he added.

Patrolling in high altitude places during the wintertime is challenging as earlier also Army officials have lost soldiers. Two Army officials were killed in an Avalanche in Sikkim in May 2020.

In October last year, five Navy personnel were caught in an avalanche on Mt Trishul in Uttarakhand, where they had gone for an expedition. Their remains were recovered later.

In February 2020, the government informed Parliament that six Army personnel had died due to avalanches and snow-slides in the Siachen Glacier in 2019, while 11 others were killed in similar incidents elsewhere.

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