New Delhi, Jan 28: Five soldiers were hit by a snow avalanche that struck an army post in north Kashmir's Kupwara district on Saturday.
"Five soldiers are trapped under the snow and rescue operation to save them is underway," Defence PRO in Srinagar Col Rajesh Kalia told TOI over phone.
According to reports, the post of 56 RR was struck by an avalanche in Macchil sector early today.
On January 25, two avalanches hit army personnel in Gurez sector trapping several soldiers under the debris. While seven soldiers were rescued alive by the teams on the same day, bodies of remaning soldiers were recovered yesterday.
The northern state has been witnessing one of the most severe winters in recent decades, with heavy snow across the territory and temperatures dropping to minus 7 degree celsius.
Earlier in the day, the state authorities have issued a high danger avalanche warning for the hilly areas of Kashmir valley for the next 24 hours.
"The warning has been issued for avalanche-prone slopes of Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Kulgam and Budgam and Kargil district of Kashmir division," a government official said.
Over 15 soldiers were killed in snow-triggered tragedies since Tuesday in the state.
On January 24, an army major lost his life in a snowslide in Kashmir's tourism desitination Sonmarg and on the following day over 14 soldiers were reportedly killed after two avalanches hit the Gurez sector of the valley.
Gurez and Sonmarg are the same avalanche-prone sectors where 16 soldiers were killed and four injured in two snowslide-related incidents in March 2012. In February 2010, at least 15 Armymen were buried in snow after an avalanche hit a military camp in the Khilanmarg area near Gulmarg.
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