Trooper killed in avalanche in Indian-controlled Kashmir

An Indian military trooper was killed, while ten others were rescued alive, but injured after an avalanche hit their camp Wednesday in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said.

The avalanche struck the army camp near Sonamarg area of Ganderbal district, about 80 km north of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"This morning an avalanche hit army camp near Sonamarg, following which a rescue operation was launched to trace the soldiers buried under snow," Indian army spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia told Xinhua.

"All the soldiers have been rescued but one of them was killed."

The rescued troopers were immediately removed to the nearest medical facility for treatment.

"All of them are stable and none has suffered serious injuries," Kalia said

Officials put the number of rescued troopers around ten.

Last year, 10 Indian troopers were buried under an avalanche on Siachen Glacier near Line of Control (LoC) in the region. It took several days for the military to retrieve their bodies.

Early in the morning four members of a family were killed after their house collapsed due to heavy snowfall in Gurez area of the adjacent Bandipora district.

Plains and upper reaches of Indian-controlled Kashmir are experiencing snowfall and rain since Tuesday.

The fresh snowfall has affected air and surface traffic in the region, thereby disrupting normal life.

Authorities have issued avalanche warnings and urged people to avoid venturing near avalanche-prone areas. The Meteorological officials said rain and snow is likely to continue for next 24 hours.

Kashmir has a rugged terrain. Landslides and avalanches are often triggered from its mountains during frequent rains and heavy snowfall, the region receives.

source: Xinhua