Srinagar: Five Army soldiers were buried under snow after a patrolling track caves in due to heavy snowfall at Machil sector in Kupwara district. Defence Ministry spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia told UNI that a team of five soldiers of 56 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) was on a routine patrol near the Line of Control (LoC) at Machil sector.
The soldiers were buried under the snow after the designated patrolling track caved in. A massive search and rescue operation has been launched in the area to save the soldiers, he added. As many as 15 soldiers, including a Major, were killed in three separate snow avalanches two days ago in the Valley in Gurez sector and Sonamarg. In March last year, 11 soldiers were killed after a snow avalanche hit an Army camp at Siachan, the world's highest battle field, in Ladakh region. (UNI)