Ten soldiers were killed while several others are missing after two avalanches in Gurez Sector of Kashmir, an army official said on Thursday.

 An avalanche hit an army camp in Gurez sector of Bandipora district near the Line of Control last evening in which several soldiers were trapped, the army official said.

 He said rescue operations were launched and seven soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer were saved. “Bodies of three soldiers were retrieved his morning,” he said.

 The official said another avalanche hit a patrol party which was on its way to a post in Gurez sector last evening.

 “Rescue teams were able to retrieve three bodies from the spot of the incident while some soldiers are still missing,” Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.

 He said the exact number of missing soldiers was not yet known as heavy snowfall was hampering ongoing operations.

 On Wednesday, an officer was killed in an avalanche at Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district while four members of a family died in another avalanche in Gurez sector.

 Authorities have issued a high danger avalanche warning in hilly parts of snow-bound Kashmir valley in view of fresh snowfall which has been going on intermittently for past three days.

 Meanwhile, heavy snowfall and freezing weather has killed 27 children, all under the age of five, in a remote district in northern Afghanistan, officials said Thursday, with fears the toll could rise.

 Roads in Darzaab in northern Jawzjan province were blocked by 50 centimetres of snow, cutting off access for villagers in the area to medical care as temperatures plunged to -10 degrees Celsius.

 “Unfortunately we have 27 children killed due to heavy snowfall and freezing weather,” district governor Rahmatullah Hashar told media, saying the deaths had occurred over the last two or three days.—Agencies</s>Image copyright AFP Image caption The Kashmir region has seen heavy snowfall in recent days

At least 14 soldiers have been killed in avalanches in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials say.

Seven soldiers died on Thursday when their patrol was hit near the Line of Control, the de facto border with Pakistan. Rescuers found four more bodies on Friday morning.

In a separate incident, a nearby army post was buried by snow, killing three soldiers.

Indian and Pakistani troops die in Kashmir avalanches most winters.

Heavy snow has caused chaos across the region, blocking roads and railways.

The two avalanches that killed the soldiers happened in the remote Gurez area.

Seven soldiers were saved but army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia told reporters that bad weather, including heavy snowfall, had hampered rescue efforts.

The AFP news agency quoted him as saying that no one else was missing.

On Wednesday, four members of the same family were also killed by snowfall in the same area.

Last year, 10 Indian soldiers were killed in an avalanche on Siachen glacier, the world's highest battlefield.

One of them was rescued after being buried in snow for six days but later died in hospital.</s>SRINAGAR: Avalanches killed 10 Indian soldiers in Kashmir after cascading onto an army post and a patrol along along the Line of Control (LoC), the army said Thursday.

The separate avalanches buried the soldiers under tonnes of snow on the Line of Control (LoC) in the remote Gurez area on Wednesday, an army spokesman told AFP.

A total of seven soldiers in the patrol, that was approaching a border post when it was hit, were killed. The avalanche that slammed into the army post left three soldiers dead, but seven have been rescued.

A search for the other missing soldiers was continuing, Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.

"With the recovery of bodies of four more soldiers from the patrol the toll in the avalanches is now 10," he said after three bodies were recovered on Wednesday. 

Dozens of Indian and Pakistani soldiers are killed by avalanches almost every winter along the LoC.

Occupied Kashmir has been witnessing one of the most severe winters in recent decades, with heavy snow across the territory and temperatures dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit).

Four members of a single family died Wednesday in the same area when the house they were sleeping in was hit by an avalanche. A lone survivor was rescued.

One soldier also died Wednesday in the north of the territory when a camp was hit by an avalanche.

Meteorologists have forecast more heavy snow across the region over the next two days.

Authorities had already issued avalanche warnings, advising residents in mountainous areas not to venture out.

Police last week evacuated 80 villagers from Waltengoo Nar -- where dozens were killed after a series of avalanches hit the area in 2005 -- in the south of the territory.

Avalanches kill 10 Indian soldiers in occupied Kashmir was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on January 26, 2017 and was last updated on January 26, 2017. This news story is related to Latest/181876-Avalanches-kill-six-Indian-soldiers-in-occupied-Kashmir/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Avalanches kill 10 Indian soldiers in occupied Kashmir" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/181876-Avalanches-kill-six-Indian-soldiers-in-occupied-Kashmir.</s>SRINAGAR: Avalanches have killed 10 Indian soldiers in the disputed state of Jammu & Kashmir after falling onto an army post and a patrol along the Line of Control , according to the military on Thursday. The separate avalanches buried the soldiers under tonnes of snow on the Line of Control in the remote Gurez area, an army spokesman told AFP.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Daily Times.</s>Two avalanches in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir led to the deaths of at least 20 people, most of whom were Indian Army soldiers. The incidents took place on the country's Republic Day on 26 January in the Gurez and Sonmarg sectors due to fresh snowfall across the state over the past four days.

According to local news channel News 18, search and rescue operations have managed to recover the bodies of 15 soldiers and five civilians from the snow in the Himalayan area.

In 2016, 14 soldiers were killed in two avalanches in Gurez and Sonmarg. A similar accident had claimed the lives of 16 in 2012. An avalanche that hit a military camp in the Khilanmarg area near Gulmarg had trapped at least 15 army personnel in 2010.

Authorities have issued disaster warnings as the heavy snowfall has cut off roads, disrupted power and communication lines, and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents. Kashmir also happens to be a popular destination for mountaineers and tourists.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the human loss and said measures were still being taken to locate those missing. "Deeply saddened at the death of our Veer jawans in an avalanche in Kashmir. Have directed the authorities for speedy search and rescue ops," he tweeted.</s>The Indian army says six soldiers were killed when avalanches hit a military post and a patrol along the highly militarized Line of Control that separates the Indian and Pakistani-held portions of the Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Indian army spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia said Thursday that a massive overnight avalanche buried a military post manned by 10 soldiers in the Gurez sector. He said three bodies were recovered and the seven other soldiers were rescued.

Kalia said another avalanche swept away an army patrol in the same area. Three bodies were recovered and rescuers were searching for other missing soldiers.

Avalanches and landslides are common in Kashmir and have caused some of the heaviest tolls for the Indian and Pakistani armies camped near the Line of Control.</s>Avalanches killed 10 Indian soldiers in Kashmir after cascading onto an army post and a patrol along the de facto border that divides the disputed territory with Pakistan, the military said Thursday.

The separate avalanches buried the soldiers under tonnes of snow on the Line of Control (LoC) in the remote Gurez area on Wednesday, an army spokesman told AFP.

A total of seven soldiers in the patrol, that was approaching a border post when it was hit, were killed. The avalanche that slammed into the army post left three soldiers dead, but seven have been rescued.

A search for the other missing soldiers was continuing, Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.

“With the recovery of bodies of four more soldiers from the patrol the toll in the avalanches is now 10,” he said after three bodies were recovered on Wednesday.

Dozens of Indian and Pakistani soldiers are killed by avalanches almost every winter along the LoC.

Indian-administered Kashmir has been witnessing one of the most severe winters in recent decades, with heavy snow across the territory and temperatures dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit).

Four members of a single family died Wednesday in the same area when the house they were sleeping in was hit by an avalanche. A lone survivor was rescued.

One soldier also died Wednesday in the north of the territory when a camp was hit by an avalanche.

Meteorologists have forecast more heavy snow across the region over the next two days.

Authorities had already issued avalanche warnings, advising residents in mountainous areas not to venture out.

Police last week evacuated 80 villagers from Waltengoo Nar — where dozens were killed after a series of avalanches hit the area in 2005 — in the south of the territory.</s>At least 10 soldiers were killed and four others were still missing after two avalanches hit an army post and a patrol in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district, officials said on Thursday.

According to police officials in Bandipora, seven soldiers were rescued from the debris of the avalanches in the Gurez sector of the Line of Control (LoC), bodies of 10 soldiers were found while four others were still missing.

“Rescue operation is on to trace the missing soldiers,” a police officer said. Earlier, the army in a statement said it lost six soldiers in the two avalanches in Gurez that occurred on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Rescue operations were immediately launched in extreme bad weather amid heavy snowfall,” the statement added. A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and six soldiers were rescued after avalanches hit their post on Wednesday, while bodies of three soldiers were retrieved on Thursday morning, it said.

An army officer was killed and four soldiers were injured on Wednesday in that avalanche which hit the army post in Sonamarg in Ganderbal district.</s>At least 14 people killed, including 10 soldiers, in three separate avalanches in Indian-administered Kashmir.

At least 10 Indian soldiers have been killed in Kashmir when avalanches hit an army post and a patrol along the de facto border, which divides the disputed territory with Pakistan, the army said.

The avalanches buried an army camp and a separate patrol approaching a post on the border known as the Line of Control (LoC) under tons of snow in the remote Gurez area, an army spokesman told the AFP news agency on Thursday.

A total of seven soldiers, who were part of the patrol, were killed, while the avalanche that slammed into the army post left three soldiers dead.

"With the recovery of bodies of four more soldiers from the patrol the toll in the avalanches is now 10," Colonel Rajesh Kalia said following the incident on Wednesday.

"An officer and six other soldiers were rescued despite hostile weather. Bodies of three soldiers from the camp could be retrieved only today (Thursday) morning," he said.

A search for the other missing soldiers was continuing, Colonel Kalia said.

Four members of a single family also died on Wednesday in the same area when the house they were sleeping in was hit by an avalanche. A lone survivor was rescued.

Dozens of Indian and Pakistani soldiers are killed almost every winter by avalanches along the LoC.

In 2012, a massive avalanche in the Pakistan-controlled side of Kashmir killed 140 people, including 129 soldiers.

Kashmir is divided between the nuclear-armed neighbours and is a long-running source of tension between them.

Indian-administered Kashmir has been witnessing one of the most severe winters in recent decades, with heavy snow across the territory and temperatures dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius.

The timesofindia.com website reported that high danger avalanche warning have been issued in the area after intermittent snowfall in the last three days.

Meteorologists have forecast more heavy snow across the territory over the next two more days.

Police last week evacuated 80 villagers from Waltengoo Nar - where dozens were killed after a series of avalanches hit the area in 2005 - in the south of Kashmir.</s>Bodies of four missing soldiers were recovered from Gurez sector of Jammu and Kashmir that was hit by avalanches on Wednesday and Thursday taking the death toll to 14, police said on Friday.

At least 10 soldiers were killed and four others went missing after two avalanches hit an army post and a patrol in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district near the Line of Control (LoC) on Thursday.

Earlier, the army in a statement said it lost six soldiers in the two avalanches in Gurez that occurred on Wednesday and Thursday.

A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and six soldiers were rescued after avalanches hit their post on Wednesday, while bodies of three soldiers were retrieved on Thursday morning, it said.

An army officer was killed and four soldiers were injured on Wednesday in that avalanche which hit the army post in Sonamarg in Ganderbal district.
At least 14 Indian Army soldiers and four civilians are killed in a series of avalanches near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.