|
100 Pakistani troops buried in Siachen
avalanche
Saturday April 07, 2012 06:00:33 PM,
IANS
|
|
|
|
|
Islamabad: At least
100 Pakistani soldiers were buried Saturday in an avalanche in
Kashmir's Siachen region, the Pakistani army said.
The avalanche hit a military camp near the Siachen glacier in the
Karakoram branch of the Himalayas where thousands of Pakistani and
Indian troops confront each other.
BBC, quoting Pakistan army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas,
reported that some bodies had been recovered. But Abbas did not
say how many troops survived the avalanche.
Expressing his shock over the loss of lives of soldiers of the
Pakistan Army, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the incident
in no way would undermine the high morale of soldiers and
officers, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
Gilani was in constant contact with the authorities concerned
regarding the rescue operation, the news agency said.
Earlier, local media reports in Pakistan said the incident took
place at around 6 a.m. Saturday when an avalanche hit an army camp
on Siachen Glacier, the second longest glacier in a non-polar
area, Xinhua reported.
Some reports suggested that as many as 130 soldiers were buried
under the avalanche, which struck the base in Gayari district. The
troops are from the Northern Light Infantry regiment, BBC
reported.
The Pakistani military says its "priority is to save lives", and
helicopters, sniffer dogs and troops have been sent to the area to
help with the rescue.
Maj Gen Abbas said it was too early to say how many of the
soldiers had survived the avalanche.
According to state-run PTV, the buried include a battalion
commander.
Weather conditions in the area are said to be good.
The Siachen glacier is known as the world's highest battlefield
with soldiers deployed at elevations of up to 6,700 metres.
|
|
Home |
Top of the Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top Stories |
|
 Obama's secret message: Iran can have civilian n-programme
In a
secret message sent through a foreign leader to Iran's supreme
leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, US President Barack Obama hinted
that Tehran can have a civilian nuclear program »
The Mahatma picks up the gun and shoots the
dove
Critics
of Iran should get rid of own nukes: Turkish PM
|
|
|
|
Most Read |
|
Zardari trip good but should fetch results: Analysts
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to India to pray at
the Sufi shrine at Ajmer Sharif is quite significant, said
analysts in Pakistan and India who hoped that it will lead to
»
Zardari: Cornered in Pakistan, to pray in India
Pakistan hopes Manmohan-Zardari talks will push peace
J-K parties hope Manmohan-Zardari talks will
help ease travel norms
PM to hold pre-lunch talks with Zardari, all
issues on table
|
|
'Qatar needs to ensure better protection of
Indian workers'
The
Indian diaspora in Qatar, constituting nearly one-third of the
Gulf country's population, has called for better protection of
their interests, especially of low paid workers, as Qatari Emir
Sheikh Hamad »
Amir of Qatar to visit India, with gas sale,
investment on agenda
|
|
|
|
News Pick |
|
'Dirty' Asian shops? Former Washington mayor
under fire
A former
Washington mayor's controversial remarks about Asian businesses
running "dirty shops" in the US capital city have drawn fire from
35 local and national organisations, including South Asian
Americans
»
|
|
Irked by Azam Khan's remarks, Bukhari wants
son-in-law's ticket cancelled
The Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Friday
asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to revoke the
legislative council ticket of his son-in-law
»
|
|
Drug-resistant Malaria spreads along Thai-Myanmar border
A drug-resistant malaria strain, which health
officials had hoped to contain to a small area in southwest Asia,
has spread significantly along the Thai-Myanmar border, a joint
study by US and British doctors
»
|
|
|
|
Picture of the Day |
|
 |
|
President Mrs Pratibha Devisingh Patil presenting the Padma
Bhushan Award to Shabana Azmi, at an Investiture Ceremony-II,
at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on April 04, 2012.
|
|
|
|
|
Comments
|
Quick links