Snow avalanche: Body of 4th soldier recovered, 1 still missing in north Kashmir

SRINAGAR: Body of the fourth soldier, missing after heavy snowfall in north Kashmir, has been recovered, while search for the fifth continued for the tenth day on Wednesday.
With the recovery of the body of this jawan, the death toll of soldiers in the last about ten days following heavy snowfall has risen to four in north Kashmir.
Meanwhile, search operation continued to trace the fifth soldier, who alongwith another jawan went missing after they fell from a mountain during heavy snowfall while there were on a routine patrol in Nowgam sector in north Kashmir district of Kupwara on December 11.
Defence Ministry spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia told UNI that the body of the third jawan was recovered on Wednesday in Gurez sector. “The search and rescue operation continued to trace the soldier, who went missing alongwith another soldier whose body was recovered on Sunday in Nowgam sector in Kupwara,” he added.
The Army sources said that the soldier, whose body was recovered on Wednesday, has been identified as Sepoy Moorthy N.
On Monday, bodies of two soldiers, identified as Sepoy Shiv Singh and Lance Naik Marigendra Nath Parmanik, were recovered from Gurez. Sepoy Moorthy, Sepoy Singh and Lance Naik Parmanik went missing after a snow avalanche hit the Army’s Mani Post at Bagtoo in Gurez sector on December 11.
A porter, working with Army, slipped to death from a mountain top due to slippery conditions following fresh snowfall in border town of Gurez on December 11.
In January this year, 14 soldiers were killed in two snow avalanches which hit an Army post and patrol party in Gurez sector. (AGENCIES)