24 hours on, 5 Army soldiers hit by avalanche still trapped near China border in Himachal Pradesh

india

Updated: Feb 21, 2019 12:47 IST

Twenty four hours on, five Army soldiers are still trapped under snow after their patrol party was hit by avalanche near the China border in Shipka La sector of Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district.

Sixteen jawans had gone towards the Shipki La border post from Namagya on Wednesday to repair a damaged water supply line when the avalanche hit them around 11am. A jawan died in the incident. He was identified as Rakesh Kumar, 41, of Ghumarpur village in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh.

The soldiers belonged to the 7JAK Rifles unit.

Heavy snow and rain has hampered the rescue operations on Thursday. The area witnessed 4 to 5 inches snowfall on Wednesday night, news agency PTI reported.

A team of about 150 people, including Army and ITBP personnel, is searching for the trapped jawans, along with the police. The search was called off for the night on Wednesday.

The avalanche was triggered by fierce snow blizzards in the area. Shipki La is at a height of around 13,000 feet and is located around 300 km from state capital Shimla.

Also read| 11 killed as avalanches strike parts of Kashmir

In another development, a glacier has slid in Pooh nullah area of Kinnaur. PTI, quoting a district official, said no damage has been reported.

Himachal Pradesh is likely to receive moderate to heavy rain and snowfall in the next 24 hours till Friday, according to the Met department.