CHANDIGARH: A day after snowfall halted the search operation for five army soldiers who went missing on February 20 after an avalanche hit Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, the operation began again today.
As the search operation entered the sixth day today, officials said chances of survival of those trapped in the snow were slim. "The rescue operation started at 7 am. More engineering efforts like chain saws and drill machines have been deployed to enhance the operation.
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A lot of snow had accumulated at the avalanche site and fresh snow has made treks treacherous. The snow has solidified into hard rocks, making it difficult to dig. The search was halted on Sunday due to intermittent snowfall throughout the day, as no clues was found till then.’ an official said.
Many mountaineers from the area are also involved in the operation. On February 20 avalanche was triggered by the sliding of a glacier near Namgia Dogri, bordering Tibet, burying six Jammu and Kashmir Rifles troopers. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more snowfall in the region on February 26-27,and thereafter on March 1-2.
Lt Gen P.M. Bali, Chief of Staff of Western Command, visited the site of avalanche on February 23 and assured that all out efforts were underway for searching the missing army men.