Siachen Avalanche - Soldier Pulled Out Alive

In what is being hailed as a miraculous escape, a solider has been pulled out alive from the Siachen Avalanche on Monday night after being buried under 25 feet of snow for six days.

The soldier survivor, whose name has been said to be Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, is a resident of Dharwad District, Karnataka. Rescueres are astonished to find out how did this man survive at a temperature of -45 degrees for six days. Soon after his rescue, the medical team rushed to him in order to keep him as warm as possible and from avoiding his body to go into hypothermia. "We are trying our best to evacuate him as soon as possible to RnR hospital", an official said.

The northern Siachen glacier which was struck by the avalanche on 3rd February, stands at a height of 19,000 feet in the eastern Karakoram Range, near the de facto border with Pakistan. The disaster resulted in 10 Indian soldiers going missing. A massive rescue mission was soon followed by the Indian Army to search for the 10 soldiers who were on patrol at the time of the incident. The mission involved the rescuers digging up to 30 feet of ice at areas where the 10 soldiers could possibly be buried. “The teams are working round the clock and observing all precautions since the unstable ice and snow in the region could trigger fresh avalanches. Rescue efforts will continue till all our soldiers are found”, a spokesman said.  "In the ongoing rescue operation at Siachen, of the 10 soldiers buried, [one] has been found alive," General D.S. Hooda from the army's northern command said in a statement. "All other soldiers are regrettably no longer with us," he added. Heave equipment and radars have been pressed into service in addition to rescue dogs. The efforts of the rescue team have been applauded by the officials who are not giving up despite the critical weather conditions.

Siachen, which holds the record for being the world’s highest battlefield, is often vulnerable to landslides and avalanches. It forms a terminus between India, Pakistan and China. Since the deployment of soldiers to the glacier in 1984 from both Pakistan and India, 8000 lives have perished.

Two dogs who were involved in the rescue operations also lost their lives while undergoing the operations under such weather conditions on the glacier.