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Avalanche traps soldiers

April 7, 2012

An avalanche has hit a Pakistani army camp in a remote Himalayan area on the border to India, burying more than 100 soldiers. Rescuers have arrived in the inhospitable region to look for survivors.

https://p.dw.com/p/14ZAt
(FILES A file photograph showing a Pakistani Army helicopter flying in the outskirts of Skardu near Siachen where the world's biggest glaciers lies, Sunday 15 May 2005. The Indian Army has rejected a possible compromise with Pakistan over the disputed Siachen glacier, days before the peace talks between the South Asian neighbours are to begin, media reports said Sunday 12 November 2006. Senior Indian Army officers said Siachen was strategically important for India and that the military had no intentions of withdrawing troops as it occupied vantage positions on the glacier. EPA/OLIVIER MATTHYS +++(c) dpa - Report+++
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

The Pakistani military says an avalanche has buried more than 100 soldiers in a camp near the Indian border.

A security official said the incident occurred when snow hit a battalion headquarters on the remote Siachen Glacier at 5.45 a.m. local time.

He said rescue efforts were under way.

Siachen is in the far north of the divided Kashmir region, which is claimed by both Pakistan and India. Both countries maintain a military presence in the region.

The area has seen occasional clashes between both sides since 1984, and it is known as the highest battlefield in the world.

However, more soldiers have died there from the harsh weather conditions than in combat.

tj/acb (AP, Reuters, AFP)