SRINAGAR: Three Army men were killed in an avalanche in Machil sector close to Line of Control (LoC) in border district of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. “In an unfortunate incident, 3 jawans of 56 Rashtria Rifles were killed in the line of duty in Machil area of Kupwara when they came under an avalanche,” a police officer said.
He said the snow slide hit an Army post Almora in Machil area, close to LoC. “Three soldiers manning the post were trapped in the snow and later their bodies were retrieved,” the official said.
The deceased soldiers were identified as Souvik Hajra, Mukesh Kumar and Gaikwad Manoj Laxman Rao.
Defence spokesman Colonel Emron Musavi confirmed that the snow slide struck an Army patrol party in Machil. He said the rescue operation was launched immediately by the Army. The upper reaches of Kashmir have seen spells of early snowfall ahead of the onset of winter this year.