The bodies of seven Indian Army personnel were found on Tuesday, who went missing after their patrol was stuck by an avalanche in Tawang district under Kameng sector in Arunachal Pradesh two days back.

Tezpur based Defence PRO Lt Col Harsh Wardhan Pande said despite the best efforts of everyone involved, all seven arm personnel have been confirmed deceased. 

“Seven Indian Army Personnel, part of a patrol, were struck by an avalanche in the High Altitude area of Kameng Sector in Arunachal Pradesh on February 6. Search and rescue operations were launched immediately, including airlifting of specialised teams. Search and rescue operations have now been concluded.  Bodies of all seven individuals have been recovered from the avalanche site. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, all seven have been confirmed deceased,” Lt Col Harsh Wardhan Pande said.

The Defence PRO further said the area, located at an altitude of 14500 feet, was witnessing inclement weather with heavy snowfall since the last few days.

“The bodies of the soldiers are currently being transferred from the avalanche site to the nearest army medical facility for further formalities,” the Defence PRO said.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)

Representative pic from open source