All 7 Army personnel hit by an avalanche in Arunachal Pradesh dead

Seven
Army personnel who were missing after being struck by an avalanche in high
altitude area of Kameng Sector in Arunachal Pradesh on February 6 were dead,
the Indian Army said.  Rescue teams retrieved the dead bodies from the avalanche site.

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The
seven Army personnel were part of a patrol team and had gone missing after
being hit by the avalanche in Tawang district.

The
Army also said the area had been witnessing inclement weather with heavy
snowfall for the past few days.

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Sang
Thinley, officer-in-charge of Dirang police station, had earlier said the
incident happened along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Sunday.

“Seven
Army personnel of 19 JAK Rifles have been reportedly stuck by an avalanche in
the area near Mammy Hut. Following the incident, Army officials had reported
the incident at Jang police station. The area is very remote and all roads have
been blocked due to snowfall,” Thinley was quoted as saying by ANI.

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Soon
after the incident, Tezpur-based Defence PRO Lt Col Harsh Wardhan Pande had said a search
and rescue operation was underway.

“Specialised
teams have been airlifted to assist in rescue operations. The area has been
witnessing inclement weather with heavy snowfall since the last few days,”
Lt Col had said.

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In
winter, patrolling in high-altitude areas can be tricky, and in the past, the
Army lost many of its soldiers in such incidents. 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 personnel were caught in an avalanche on Mt
Trishul in Uttarakhand, where they had gone for an expedition. Their remains
were recovered later. In February 2020, the government informed Parliament that
six Army personnel had died due to avalanches and snow-slides in the Siachen
Glacier in 2019, while 11 others were killed in similar incidents elsewhere.

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The
government had said that all armed forces personnel inducted into
“high-altitude regions are provided adequate training in mountain craft, ice
craft and survival in glaciated terrain in mountains, and in coping with any
eventuality like avalanches” and that they are also “taught to handle medical
emergencies”.

They
are “suitably equipped to undertake the operational challenges” and use modern
equipment like helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, snow scooters, avalanche
detectors, and mountain clothing.