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Kashmir avalanche at the highest military base in the world causes concern for lost soldiers

On April 7 an avalanche hit the remote, inhospitable Siachen Glacier in the northern Himalayan area of disputed Kashmir between India and Pakistan, with as many as 124 Pakistani soldiers and 11 civilians feared dead. The soldiers were believed to have been in the main building when the avalanche struck at six o’clock in the morning, burying them under 70 feet of snow. The glacier is 78 kilometres long amid the mountainous region near the city of Skardu. India controls the majority of the Siachen Glacier itself, including the Saltoro Ridge passes, whereas Pakistan controls the lower territory southwest of Saltoro Ridge.

Avalanches in the Siachen region are relatively common. Soldiers based there are trained in avalanche survival and rescue. However, the massive avalanche is believed to have covered a large area in a location thought to be relatively safe. The rescue mission includes hundreds of soldiers, five military helicopters, search dogs, bulldozers, engineers, and medical teams. Bad weather is hampering the rescue efforts. To date, no survivors have been found.

The military base is known as the world’s highest combat zone. Soldiers are deployed at elevations as high as 15,000 to 22,000 feet (7,000 metres) among the harshest conditions in the world, including average winter temperatures of minus 50 degrees Celsius and high winds. Coupled with altitude sickness and isolation, it is extremely severe on the health of soldiers. Far more soldiers die due to the harsh conditions than from combat.

India and Pakistan are believed to have a combined troop force of up to 20,000 in the region, with possibly up to 7,000 at the current time on the Siachen glacier. The Pakistan headquarters in Gayari, situated at about 4,500 metres, is the main gateway for troops and supplies. The base near the Siachen Glacier is situated in a valley between two alps, close to a military hospital.

India and Pakistan have had discussions about removing troops from the Siachen Glacier. An avalanche on the same glacier killed 24 Pakistani troops in 2010. An avalanche at Ramwari killed at least nine Indian soldiers on duty on February 23, 2012 with a further seven in a second avalanche.

At the time of the Partition in 1947, Kashmir had failed to choose whether it wanted to be part of India or Pakistan, leaving the issue unresolved. Subsequently both countries claim the region as their own. On January 1, 1949, the United Nations created a ceasefire line, known as the Line of control. Azad Kashmir, a region in northwest Kashmir, is administered by Pakistan. India controls the central and southern portion known as Jammu and Kashmir and an area called Ladakh. China controls the northeastern section (Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract). However these claims are still disputed with India claiming their area and the parts ceded to China (in 1963) while Pakistan claims the entire region excluding the Chinese controlled areas.

Martina Nicolls is the author of The Sudan Curse (2009), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010), and Bardot’s Comet (2011).

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  1. UMAIRMay 17, 2012 at 3:26 PM

    ham chahtay hain k yahan say 2no countries apni apni army ko wapis bulaien ........!!

    ReplyDelete

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