7 Army personnel hit by avalanche in Arunachal found dead

The bodies of seven Army personnel were found on Tuesday in the high-altitude Kameng region of Arunachal Pradesh, two days since they went missing after their patrol in the border area was struck by an avalanche, the Army said.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives of the Army personnel.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the 'brave' Army personnel 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 personnel 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.

Offering his condolences, Kovind tweeted, 'The death of soldiers due to an avalanche in Arunachal Pradesh is a tragedy beyond words. The brave soldiers laid down their lives for the service of the nation. Their selfless sacrifice will always be remembered. My condolences to their families.'

The Vice President's Secretariat, quoting Naidu, said in a tweet, 'Deeply saddened by the loss of lives of Army personnel who were struck by an avalanche while on a patrol at a high altitude area in Arunachal Pradesh. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief.'

In his message, Modi said 'we will never forget their exemplary service to our nation'.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar too said he was 'deeply grieved' by the demise of the personnel.

'Deeply grieved by the loss of lives of Indian Army personnel due to an avalanche in Arunachal Pradesh. Those who guard our frontiers risk their lives everyday.

'The nation is deeply grateful for their service and commitment. My condolences to the bereaved families,' he tweeted.

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 personnel while they were on a patrolling in the Chume Gyater area near Yangtse.

The Chume Gyater area in 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 personnel were caught in an avalanche on Mt Trishul in Uttarakhand, where they had gone for an expedition.

Their mortal remains were recovered later.