SRINAGAR: An army man was killed and another missing after an army patrol was hit by an avalanche in Turtuk sector in Ladakh, a gateway to the Siachen glacier, on Friday.
Defence spokesman in Srinagar, Colonel N N Joshi, said an army patrol in the Turtuk region of Ladakh had been hit by an avalanche at about 8am Friday.
He said two soldiers were buried under snow.
“The rescue operation was launched immediately to rescue the two men trapped in the snow. After intense efforts, they managed to rescue an injured soldier identified as Lance Havaldar Bhawan Tamang while the other is missing,” Joshi said.
He said the rescued soldier was immediately evacuated to the nearest medical facility. “However, he succumbed to his injuries in the hospital,” he said.
Lance Havaldar Bhawan Tamang was a resident of Lopshu village in Darjeeling tehsil of West Bengal.
“Despite inclement weather in the area, massive efforts are currently on to rescue the missing soldier,” he added.
The Army’s Northern Command Chief Lt Gen D S Hooda has expressed his deep condolences to the family of Lance Havildar Bhawan Tamang.
Friday’s avalanche was the fourth to have hit army men in Ladakh and Siachen in last three years. Earlier this week an army man was killed and another rescued after their post was hit by an avalanche in the Kargil sector.
In February, 10 soldiers were killed after the army post was hit by a massive snow avalanche in Siachen glacier. In January, four army men were killed after their patrol was hit by an avalanche in the Siachen glacier.