Avalanche traps about 150 Pakistani soldiers
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No, siachen has never been demilitarised since 1984. And joint monitoring has never been done either.
ice_man
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BBC News - Avalanche buries 100 Pakistani troops in Kashmir
Avalanche buries 100 Pakistani troops in Kashmir
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Q&A: Kashmir dispute
A Pakistani general says more than 100 troops have been buried by an avalanche in the disputed Kashmir region.
Pakistan army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told the BBC some bodies had been recovered but could not say how many had survived.
The avalanche hit a military camp near the Siachen glacier in the Karakoram branch of the Himalaya mountains. A rescue operation is underway.
India and Pakistan both claim the area and have deployed thousands of troops.
Long rescue mission
The avalanche struck the base in the Gayari district at about 06:00 local time (01:00 GMT).
The soldiers are from the Northern Light Infantry regiment, trained in mountain operations, including avalanche rescue.
The military says its "priority is to save lives", and helicopters, sniffer dogs and troops have been sent to the area to help with the rescue.
The BBC's Orla Guerin, in Islamabad, says the remote region is a particularly difficult place to launch a rescue mission, but improving weather conditions are expected to help the operation.
Maj Gen Abbas said the avalanche that hit the military camp had been "very massive" and it could take several days to complete the rescue operation, which was unprecedented in scale for such a location.
Siachen glacier The Siachen glacier is in a remote mountain area claimed by both Pakistan and India
He said there had been no communication with any of the missing soldiers.
"It's too early to say how many survived and how many bodies have been recovered," he said.
Although the region is prone to avalanches, the general said, they tend to occur in "forward bases" at higher altitude, where only 10 or 20 troops are located.
The numbers involved in this incident were so high, he said, because avalanches were not expected in the immediate area of the camp that was struck.
An avalanche killed 24 Pakistani troops in 2010 - this is believed to be the heaviest loss of life in a previous such incident until now.
Kashmir has been partitioned between India and Pakistan since 1947.
Failure to agree on the status of the territory by diplomatic means has brought India and Pakistan to war on a number of occasions.
The Siachen glacier is known as the world's highest battlefield, and soldiers have been deployed at elevations of up to 6,700m (22,000 feet).
However, more soldiers have died from the harsh weather conditions there than in combat.
Avalanche buries 100 Pakistani troops in Kashmir
Map of Kashmir
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Kashmir profile
Q&A: Kashmir dispute
A Pakistani general says more than 100 troops have been buried by an avalanche in the disputed Kashmir region.
Pakistan army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told the BBC some bodies had been recovered but could not say how many had survived.
The avalanche hit a military camp near the Siachen glacier in the Karakoram branch of the Himalaya mountains. A rescue operation is underway.
India and Pakistan both claim the area and have deployed thousands of troops.
Long rescue mission
The avalanche struck the base in the Gayari district at about 06:00 local time (01:00 GMT).
The soldiers are from the Northern Light Infantry regiment, trained in mountain operations, including avalanche rescue.
The military says its "priority is to save lives", and helicopters, sniffer dogs and troops have been sent to the area to help with the rescue.
The BBC's Orla Guerin, in Islamabad, says the remote region is a particularly difficult place to launch a rescue mission, but improving weather conditions are expected to help the operation.
Maj Gen Abbas said the avalanche that hit the military camp had been "very massive" and it could take several days to complete the rescue operation, which was unprecedented in scale for such a location.
Siachen glacier The Siachen glacier is in a remote mountain area claimed by both Pakistan and India
He said there had been no communication with any of the missing soldiers.
"It's too early to say how many survived and how many bodies have been recovered," he said.
Although the region is prone to avalanches, the general said, they tend to occur in "forward bases" at higher altitude, where only 10 or 20 troops are located.
The numbers involved in this incident were so high, he said, because avalanches were not expected in the immediate area of the camp that was struck.
An avalanche killed 24 Pakistani troops in 2010 - this is believed to be the heaviest loss of life in a previous such incident until now.
Kashmir has been partitioned between India and Pakistan since 1947.
Failure to agree on the status of the territory by diplomatic means has brought India and Pakistan to war on a number of occasions.
The Siachen glacier is known as the world's highest battlefield, and soldiers have been deployed at elevations of up to 6,700m (22,000 feet).
However, more soldiers have died from the harsh weather conditions there than in combat.
Abingdonboy
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India should definetly at least offer to help. There is a QRT of the HAWS located not too far from Sachin always ready to respond to such incidents these incidents are their bread and butter and they are self contained units with the equipment and supplies they need ready to be deployed by helo. Wonder if assistance has been offered like during Kashmir earthquake?
I have just spoke to a friend of mine from DG ISPR - apparantly NO bodies have been pulled out so far and according to my friend a total of 117 soldiers are missing. There is an on going rescue operation in place and they are desperately trying to reach them before dark sets in.
Will keep you informed guys......
Will keep you informed guys......
Harry Potter
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Ark-Angel
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Dead Bodies of more than a dozen soldiers have been recovered from Siachin..!!!
إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ
إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ
Farah Sohail
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No bodies have been pulled out so far??? Thats really sad.... May Allah help the rescue teams..
Fireurimagination
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I hope better sense prevail and they reach some agreement on the glacier and demilitarize it asap, it will save crores on rupees on both side and the place is just ain't fit for humans and when it's humans vs Mother Nature...Mother Nature always wins
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