Avalanche traps about 150 Pakistani soldiers

[Lonely Hermit]

RIP to the departed, i hope most of the soldiers are safe.

 

[VelocuR]

Canada's Toronto Star

Avalanche buries 100 Pakistani soldiers on Himalayan glacier

ISLAMABAD—Pakistani soldiers dug into a massive avalanche in a mountain battleground close to the Indian border on Saturday, searching for at least 117 of their colleagues buried when the wall of snow engulfed a military complex.

More than 12 hours after the disaster at the entrance to the Siachen Glacier, no survivors had been found.

“We are waiting for news and keeping our fingers crossed,” said army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas.

Hundreds of troops, sniffer dogs and mechanical equipment were at the scene, but were struggling to make much headway into the avalanche, which crashed down onto the rear headquarters building in the Gayari sector early in the morning, burying it under some 70 metres (75 yards) of snow, said Abbas.

“It's on a massive scale,” he said. “Everything is completely covered.”

Siachen is on the northern tip of the divided Kashmir region claimed by both India and Pakistan.

The accident highlighted the risks of deploying troops to one of the most inhospitable places on earth.

The thousands of troops from both nations stationed there brave viciously cold temperatures, altitude sickness, high winds and isolation for months at a time. Troops have been deployed at elevations of up to 6,700 metres (22,000 feet) and have skirmished intermittently since 1984, though the area has been quiet since a cease-fire in 2003. The glacier is known as the world's highest battlefield.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani expressed his shock at the incident, which he said “would in no way would undermine the high morale of soldiers and officers.”

The headquarters in Gayari, situated at around 4,572 metres (15,000 feet) is the main gateway through which troops and supplies pass on their to other more remote outposts in the sector. It is situated in a valley between two high mountains, close to a military hospital, according to an officer who was stationed there in 2003.

“I can't comprehend how an avalanche can reach that place,” said the officer, who didn't give his name because he is not authorized to speak to the media. “It was supposed to be safe.”

More soldiers have died from the weather than combat on the glacier, which was uninhabited before troops moved there.

Conflict there began in 1984 when India occupied the heights of the 78-kilometre (49-mile)-long glacier, fearing Pakistan wanted to claim the territory. Pakistan also deployed its troops. Both armies remain entrenched despite the cease-fire, costing the poverty-stricken countries many millions of dollars each year.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars since the partition of the subcontinent on independence from Britain in 1947. Two of the wars have been over Kashmir, which both claim in its entirety.

Video:
http://cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2012/04/07/wr-abbas-pakistan-avalanche.cnn

 

[NALANDA]

RIP to the fallen soldiers.

God give the family and friends strength and our region leaders who can get us out of this MAD Catch 22 Situation..

 

[DV RULES]

we Hope for their survival.

May God help them.

 

[acetophenol]

Indian army should take this incident as a signal,and start preparing to face such calamities.it could have easily been indian army in the place of pakistan army.

 

[Ark-Angel]

Pakistan Army's Battalion Headquarters at Gyari houses some 3,000 soldiers and, situated at 13,000 ft., is the second highest Battalion HQ in the Siachen conflict zone. The highest one is the Pakistan Army Battalion HQ at Gyong La, also at Siachen.

That's incorrect. The Brigade has nearly 3000 soldiers but all of them dont serve in HQ. Most of them are on their posts.

 

[Tiger Awan]

So how will Pakistan army transport supplies to the post which were previously getting supplies from this HQ. If weather gets bads?

 

[Jango]

A total of 135 have been buried underneath the snow, of which 11 are civilians.

All the armymen are of 6 NLI.

names of all the people to be displayed on the ISPR website shortly.

A hotline has been setup for info about the operation.

Now the PM should call a day of national mourning, and flags at half mast, rather than when a PPP person dies.

I almost cried after I saw a post here, and then when i tried to visualize the situation.

Really horrible.

 

[Bhairava]

whoa...I thought its the Indian side that is prone to avalanches and Pak side is pretty much safe coz of lower terrain...

 

[Jango]

off and on, yes he was....as far as my understanding goes. Where exactly I am unsure.



doing what they can at this point

Any news about who the Colonel was, who is also in the group of 135?

 

[Jango]

Captain Misbah
Cell No : 03365300461

This is the number of the officer who is the representative if ISPR in Gilgit. Got it from the ISPR website.

The same number was also on GEo news, one of the three hotline numbers. The other two are landline that i dont know.

You just shudder on the thought that what the families might be going through.

I have had an experience like this as well, when my father was in Sierra Leone mission, and the heli crashed.

 

[illusion8]

That's white death, Rest in peace soldiers.

 

[Tiger Awan]

I have had an experience like this as well, when my father was in Sierra Leone mission, and the heli crashed.

and then????

 

[Jango]

and then????

Well my father was a pilot of Mi-17 (flight engineer actually), and he was supposed to fly the heli in Sierra Leone, and we knew. But at the last moment, another officer got on the heli because he had some urgent work at the destination, and my father gave up his place. And we did not know about that. And then we saw on PTV that a heli had crashed in Sierra leone, and we came to know that he was supposed to be on that flight. And then we all just dipped into chaos, shell shocked, we started offering extra prayers and reciting Quran. Luckily he was not on the flight, and we came to know later.

My thoughts with the families.

 

[lightoftruth]

rip to the brave .