This is how Lance Naik Hanumanthappa defied death at Siachen

Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, the 33-year-old soldier who was rescued from an avalanche on the Siachen glacier, is said to be alive because of yoga and an air pocket.

New Delhi: Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad, the 33-year-old soldier who was rescued from an avalanche on the Siachen glacier five days after being trapped, is said to be alive because of yoga and a lucky air pocket.

Koppad of the 19th Madras Regiment was posted at the Siachen glacier, where nine of his colleagues were also buried about 25 feet deep in the avalanche in minus 40 degrees Celsius on February 03.

He is currently in a coma, and there are two theories on how he managed to survive.

One report says Koppad "survived in an air pocket" after a km wide ice wall crashed on Sonam Post, located at an altitude of 19,600 feet in the Northern Siachen Glacier.

The Indian Express suggests that Koppad was trapped inside an air pocket under 35 feet of snow, and had access to oxygen ever since he was buried alive in an avalanche.

Another report suggests yoga might have saved his life.

“We have been told he used to not only practice yoga himself but also help fellow soldiers with their breathing exercises. Medical science can perhaps explain better but we believe yoga perhaps had a role to play in his being able to survive in those conditions,’’ a senior officer told Mail Today.

Koppad has been described by the Indian Army as a "highly motivated and physically fit soldier".

News of Koppad miraculously being alive days after he was buried in a Siachen glacier in an avalanche rejoiced his family.