Ladakh: Two soldiers dead, one missing after avalanches hit Batalik sector

Two of the five soldiers trapped in a series of avalanches in Jammu and Kashmir's Batalik succumbed to their injuries on Friday, while one is still missing.

At least five soldiers were trapped when a series of avalanches hit the Batalik sector in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir clamping down an army post yesterday.

Four soldiers have been rescued from the area, so far.

Since Tuesday, most places of the state received moderate to heavy rains. Met office said that the higher reaches received heavy snowfall.

Divisional Administration Kashmir had issued an avalanche warning for next 24-hours for hilly and avalanche prone areas of Kashmir Valley and Kargil district.

According to MeT department officials, Srinagar received 83.9 mm rain and snowfall since yesterday while Kokernag in south Kashmir received 69.9 mm of rains in that period.

Pahalgam, also in south Kashmir, recorded a rainfall of 64.2 mm since yesterday.

As many as 20 Army personnel including a Major and a Junior Commissioned Officer lost their lives in three separate incidents of avalanches in Sonamarg area of Ganderbal, Gurez in Bandipora and Machhil in Kupwara districts in January this year.

--ANI