An army jawan who was buried under 25 feet of snow following an avalanche in the Siachen glacier was found alive in critical condition after six days of rescue efforts.

Lance Naik Hanamanthappa and nine of his colleagues were resting when a huge wall of ice came crashing down on their post on February 3. It all happened so quickly that none of the 10 had time to react. All of them were buried under 35 feet of snow at the Siachen glacier.

The Indian Army and Indian Air Force launched massive but extremely difficult operation to locate the Indian post and pull out the buried soldiers. Chance of any of them surviving under the snow in Siachen's extreme climate was dim.

Speaking on the tragedy, Lt. Gen DS Hooda, GOC-in-C (Army Commander), Northern Command said, "In the ongoing rescue operation at Siachen, of the ten soldiers buried under ice, Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, has been found alive, all the other soldiers are regrettably no more with us. The medical condition of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad is critical but all attempts are being made to evacuate him to RR Hospital in the morning. We hope the miracle continues. Pray with us. "



On Monday night, a rescue team, which had been looking for signs of any surviving men, stumbled upon Hanamanthappa buried under the huge block of hardened snow. The medical team on the spot was astounded to see that Hanamanthappa was still breathing.

Experts said Hanamanthappa survived because he was trapped in an air bubble. From Siachen base camp, Hanamanthappa was brought to Partapur. From there, a chopper ferried him to Thoise base. A C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force brought him to Delhi.

Hanamanthappa has been admitted to the Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi where his condition is critical but stable.

PM Modi, Army chief meet Hanamanthappa in hospital

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Army Chief General Dalbir Singh visited Army Research and Referral Hospital to meet Hanamanthappa. Doctors said a medical bulletin detailing the jawan's condition will be released later in the day.

"Going to see Lance Naik Hanumanthappa, with prayers from the entire nation," the PM tweeted.

"Team of doctors is attending to Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. We are all hoping & praying for the best. No words are enough to describe the endurance & indomitable spirit of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. He is an outstanding soldier," he added.

Hanamanthappa's family erupts in joy

Hanamanthappa's family erupted in joy as soon as the news about him being rescued alive six days after the tragedy in Siachen reached his village in Dharwad, Karnataka.

His father said that he named his son after god Hanuman, so he triumphed death.

His wife told news agencies that she was very happy and would go to a temple to offer her prayers. "I want to go see him," she told ANI.

Meanwhile, rescue teams have located mortal remains of the other 9 soldiers and they are being brought out from the avalanche site.

Siachen - The unseen enemy

The Siachen glacier is the highest battleground on the earth. The minimum temperature in the region can dip to -50 Degree Celsius or -140 Degree Fahrenheit in winters. Both India and Pakistan have maintained their military presence in the region since 1984.

According to Indian Army's data, more than 800 jawans have been killed in Siachen so far. Ironically, most of the soldiers have died due to extreme weather conditions in the region.

The Indian Army permits deployment of a soldier in Siachen for a maximum period of three months. In high-risk areas of the glacier such as Bana Post this limit is of 30 days. The army unit deployed in the region is rotated after every six months.

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