Bodies of Siachen avalanche victims to reach Delhi today

Leh: The mortal remains of all nine soldiers killed in an avalanche on the Siachen glacier were brought to Leh on Sunday, and will be taken to Delhi on Monday, the Indian Army said.

There will be a wreath-laying ceremony on Monday morning to be attended by the Leh Corps commander. The bodies will be then be transported to Delhi, and were likely to reach the capital around 11 a.m., an army spokesperson said.

In Delhi, last respects to the soldiers will be paid by the army chief and others.

The bodies are then planned to be flown to their respective destinations, including Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Madurai, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram.

The nine soldiers were killed when an avalanche hit the army`s Sonam post at Siachen on February 3. Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, who was rescued alive after being buried under snow for six days, died on February 11 in an Army hospital in Delhi.