13 dead, 15 injured in J&K avalanche
08 Feb, 2010 [03:52 PM] | | Thirteen army personnel including an officer, were killed and 15 others seriously injured on Monday after a massive avalanche struck a high altitude warfare training camp in Khilanmarg, 70 kms from Srinagar. An army spokesman, Colonel J S Brar, said that scores more were still missing and feared trapped in the snow, while 70 people have been rescued.
The deceased included an officer, Lt Prateek, and twelve other ranks from the Army's prestigious High Altitude Warfare School, he said.
Some of those seriously injured are in a critical condition in a hospital in the scenic tourist spot of Gulmarg.
The group comprising nearly 350 personnel had set out at 0800 hours this morning from Gulmarg and reached Khilanmarg eight kms uphill at a height of over 10,000 feet to set up a winter warfare training camp when they were hit by an avalanche, Col Brar said.
Gulmarg and its surrounding areas have been receiving unprecedented snowfall for the past two days with reports of six-feet of snow in certain areas.
Snow Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) had issued an avalanche warning last evening and advised people living in high altitude areas not to venture in the area which has been receiving heavy snowfall for the past three days.
‘Avalanche warning exists in the high altitude areas for the next 24 hours. People living in the areas are cautioned to avoid movement during snowfall and not to venture out in avalanche prone areas,’ SASE said.
Areas where high danger avalanche warnings exist include- Sonamarg, Gagangir, Bhimbat, Drass, Batalic, Dhudi and S M Hills in Kargil district.
It said that areas where medium danger of avalanche warning exists included- Khilanmarg, Uri, Baaz, Razdan Top, Z-Gali, Keran, Furkian top, Machil, Sadna Top, Urez, Niru, Baruab and Chowkibal in Kupwara and Baramulla districts of North Kashmir.
Areas where low danger avalanche warning exists include both sides of Jawahar Tunnel, the gateway to Kashmir and its adjoining areas on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
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