Gorkha Jawan Bhawan Tamang dies in Ladakh

An army jawan from Darjeeling was today killed and another soldier is believed to have been buried under mounds of snow after an avalanche struck a patrol team in Ladakh.

Colonel S.D. Goswami, the defence spokesperson, Northern Command, said the incident occurred around 8am when the troops were on a patrol in Turtuk area.

According to Col. Goswami, Bhawan Tamang, a resident of Lopchu village in Darjeeling, was retrieved from under the snow by a rescue team but succumbed to his injuries.

"He was immediately retrieved and evacuated to the nearest medical facility. But he could not be revived by the medical team," he said.

Col. Goswami said efforts were underway to rescue the other jawan despite inclement weather. Today's was the second such avalanche to have hit troops in the area in nine days.

On March 17, an avalanche had hit an army post situated at an altitude of 17,500 feet in the Kargil sector.

While one soldier was rescued immediately, the body of another jawan was retrieved from under the snow three days later.

Today's incident occurred one-and-half months after 10 soldiers were killed when a massive avalanche buried their post at 19,600 feet in the world's highest battlefield of Siachen.

The army literally pulled off a miracle when they extricated Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad alive from under mounds of ice and snow after five days.

Lance Naik Koppad, however, died of multiple organ failure in the Army Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi some days later.(TT)