Kashmir Avalanches Kill 12 Soldiers, Seven Missing February 23, 2012, 4:12 am Twelve Indian soldiers were killed, 4 injured and 7 more are missing after two avalanches in Kashmir buried military camps on Wednesday evening. The first incident took place in the Sonmarg area at 5 P.M., military officials said, when three soldiers were killed and four others injured. The second incident took place at 10 P.M. in the Gurez sector of Bandipura district where 29 soldiers were initially trapped. Nine soldiers died and seven soldiers are still missing, while thirteen others were pulled out to safety. Rescue operations have been slow because of continued snowfall, officials said, and military helicopters can not take off because of the snow. The disputed territory of Kashmir, most often in the news for the insurgency and civil unrest that have wracked it for decades, has been hit by a series of avalanches in recent years. On January 24 of this year, seven Indian military personnel were declared missing after an avalanche in Pharkian Gali, north Kashmir. On February 9, 2010, an avalanche in the Khilanmarg area near Gulmarg killed more than a dozen Indian soldiers. In late February of 2005, several avalanches rumbled through northwest Kashmir, killing almost 300 people. Nearly the entire village of Waltengoo Nar was flattened, and residents who were not killed immediately were often trapped for days awaiting rescue. In March of 2003, an avalanche along the line of control left 17 dead, all soldiers except for one civilian. Hundreds were killed in January of 1995 after avalanches buried the highway connecting Srinagar and Jammu. As many as five buses plunged off the highway into valleys below, news reports said.