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15 soldiers dead, 53 rescued in J&K avalanche
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Srinagar: A massive avalanche plowed into an Indian army training centre at a ski resort town in Kashmir on Monday, killing at least 15 soldiers and critically wounding 17 others.
The avalanche slammed into the army’s High Altitude Warfare School at about 11 am and swept away the soldiers during a training session, said army spokesman Col. Vineet Sood. It was the worst avalanche in the area in many years, he said.
Fifteen bodies were found and 53 troops rescued six hours after the speeding mass of snow and ice struck the center high on a Himalayan slope, senior police officer Qayoom Manhas said.
Manhas said of those rescued, 17 needed emergency medical care. Rescuers were looking for two more soldiers missing and feared buried under the snow.
About 70 troops were taking a skiing test when the avalanche came crashing down, he said.
Rescue efforts involving army, police and civilian officials were “very timely, swift and coordinated," Manhas said.
The accident occurred near Gulmarg, a ski resort about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of Srinagar, the main city in Kashmir, said Sood.
About 400 people, including 30 civilian workers, were at the training center, but the avalanche hit only one portion of the facility.
Incessant snow and rain complicated rescue operations.
GM Dar, a tourist official in the area, said about 400 tourists skiing in Gulmarg were safe.
Frequent rain and heavy snowfall often trigger avalanches and landslides in Kashmir, blocking roads and cutting off tourist resorts like Gulmarg.
Last year in April, an avalanche hit an Indian army post in a separate region close to the de-facto border with Pakistan, killing seven soldiers and injuring at least eight others.
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