At least 100 Pakistani soldiers were buried alive
in a remote area in the Himalayas when an avalanche crushed their
camp, the military said on Saturday.
The incident took place in the Siachen area in
the north of Pakistan. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said that
rescue work was ongoing. “More than 100 soldiers of Northern Light
Infantry, including a colonel were trapped when the avalanche hit a
military camp,” he said. “The rescue mission is continuing and rescuers
are trying to recover the soldiers.”
The avalanche struck overnight, local media said.
State-run Pakistan Television said the incident occurred in the Giyari area of Siachen, where the Pakistan Army has a base.
Avalanches and landslides frequently block roads
and leave communities isolated in the mountains of Pakistan,
neighboring Afghanistan and in Kashmir, the Himalayan territory divided
between rivals India and Pakistan. The Kashmir region—of which Siachen
is a part—is divided between Pakistan and India and is claimed by both
in full.
Kashmir has caused two of the three wars between the neighbors since their independence in 1947 from Britain.
Both Pakistan and India have deployed thousands
of soldiers in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir but harsh
weather in Siachen is said to have claimed many more lives than actual
fighting.
