Avalanche in Arunachal’s Kameng Region: Bodies of 7 Army Jawans Found
PTI
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New Delhi: The bodies of seven Army officers were found on Tuesday in the high-altitude Kameng region of Arunachal Pradesh, two days after they went missing after their patrol in the border area was struck by an avalanche.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said the "brave" Army jawans 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.
The Army officers went missing after they were hit by the avalanche on Sunday. A search and rescue operation was launched following the incident.
"Bodies of all seven individuals have been recovered from the avalanche site. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, all seven have been confirmed deceased," the Army said in a statement.
It said the area located at an altitude of 14,500 feet had been witnessing inclement weather with heavy snowfall in the last few days.
"The bodies of the soldiers are currently being transferred from the avalanche site to the nearest Army medical facility for further formalities," the Army said.
The Indian Army along with the local police have retrieved the bodies from the avalanche site, Tezpur-based defence spokesman Lt Col Harsh Vardhan Pande said.
The seven soldiers belonged to the 19 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, an infantry regiment of the Indian Army.
The avalanche hit the Army soldiers while they were patrolling the Chume Gyater area near Yangtse. The Chume Gyater area is around 100 km from the district headquarters of Tawang.
"Search and rescue operations were launched immediately, including airlifting of specialised teams," the Army said.
Patrolling in high-altitude areas in the winter months are challenging, and the Army has lost soldiers in such incidents earlier.
In May 2020, two Army soldiers who were part of a patrol-cum-snow-clearing party died after they were caught in an avalanche in Sikkim.
In October last year, five Navy officers were caught in an avalanche on Mt Trishul in Uttarakhand, where they had gone for an expedition. Their mortal remains were recovered later.
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