Pakistan Army extends helping hand to rescue avalanche-hit Indian soldiers

RAWALPINDI: The director general military operations (DGMO) of Pakistan Army offered assistance to his Indian counterpart Thursday for the rescue of Indian soldiers who went missing after an avalanche hit the Siachen Glacier yesterday.

At least 10 Indian Army personnel went missing on Wednesday and presumed trapped in an avalanche, in the area known as the battleground on the roof of the world.

The victims were missing at an altitude of 19,600 feet (5,974 metres) on the Siachen Glacier that India and Pakistan have fought over intermittently for years, beginning in 1984.

The soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer, disappeared after an avalanche swept down the mountain striking their post, India’s defence ministry said in a statement.

"Rescue operations by specialized teams from army and air force are underway to rescue the soldiers," the ministry said.

The Siachen Glacier in the Karakorum range is known as the highest militarised zone in the world.

Thousands of Indian and Pakistani troops contest an area at altitudes above 20,000 feet where they must deal with altitude sickness, high winds, frostbite and temperatures as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius.

Military experts say the inhospitable climate and avalanche-prone terrain have claimed more lives than gunfire.

The strategic importance of the glacier is widely seen as insignificant. Until 1984, neither side had troops permanently stationed there.

Both countries agree on a need to demilitarise the glacier, but attempts to reach any agreement have been unsuccessful.

Siachen is in the northern part of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.