Guwahati: The Army on Tuesday said that all seven Army personnel who went missing after being caught in an avalanche in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday have been discovered dead.
The Army started a huge search and rescue operation, with expert avalanche-rescue teams and equipment airlifted to the location at an altitude of 14,500 feet along the Line of Actual Control in the state’s West Kameng district, soon after the soldiers went missing in the early hours of Sunday.
The Army stated that the search and rescue activities have “already been completed” and “bodies of all seven victims have been found from the avalanche site.” “Despite the greatest efforts of everyone involved,” it continued, “all seven have been confirmed deceased.”
The deceased of all seven Army personnel were identified as Havildar Jugal Kishore and jawans Rakesh Singh, Ankesh Bharadwaj, Vishal Sharma, Akshay Pathania, Arun Katal and Gurbhaj Singh.
According to reports, the bodies are being returned to the nearest Army facility.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma condoled the loss of lives of the Army personnel.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the “brave” Army personnel lost their lives while serving the nation and that he was “deeply pained” by their demise.
“These brave soldiers lost their lives while serving the nation. I salute their courage and service. My heartfelt condolences to their bereaved families,” Singh said on Twitter.
According to the Army Officials, the location which is at an elevation of 14,500 feet has been experiencing severe weather with heavy snowfall for the past three days. “The troops’ bodies are currently being transported from the avalanche scene to the nearest Army medical institution for further formalities,” the statement added.
It is not uncommon for troops to be caught in an avalanche, and the military has lost people in the past due to similar situations. The most recent incidence occurred in May 2020, when two Army servicemen were killed in an avalanche in Sikkim while on patrol as part of a snow clearance party.
According to data presented by the administration in Parliament in February 2020, the Army lost six people in 2019 to avalanches and snow falls in the Siachen Glacier, and 11 more in other parts of the nation.
All armed forces troops inducted into “High Altitude zones” are “trained to handle medical emergencies” and are “given proper training in mountain craft, ice craft, and survival in glaciated terrain in mountain dealing with any eventuality like avalanches,” according to the government.
They are “suitably prepared to meet the operational demands,” with helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, snow scooters, avalanche detectors, and mountain clothes and equipment among the latest equipment they utilise.
The Navy had lost five of its personnel at Mt Trishul, Uttarakhand, in October last year, where they had gone for an expedition.