Two Army soldiers killed in avalanche in Siachen

Two Army soldiers were killed in an avalanche in Siachen, military sources said. The incident took place in sub-sector Haneef around 1 pm on Sunday. They could only be rescued by 7 pm and succumbed to their injuries.

New Delhi: Two Army soldiers were killed in an avalanche in Siachen on Sunday, military sources said. The incident took place in sub-sector Haneef around 1 pm on Sunday, they said. "The two soldiers could only be rescued by 7 pm and they succumbed to their injuries," said a source.

Other soldiers and porters who were also in the area when the avalanche struck it are stable and out of danger, the sources said.

The Siachen glacier at the height of around 20,000 ft in the Karakoram range is known as the highest militarised zone in the world where soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds.

Avalanches and landslides are common at the glacier and temperatures can drop to as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius.