All 7 Army Personnel trapped in Arunachal Avalanche found dead; President and Prime Minister express grief

New Delhi: The bodies of seven Indian Army personnel who were missing after being hit by an avalanche in the high altitude area of the Kameng sector in Arunachal Pradesh Tawang district have been found. In a statement, the Indian Army said the rescue and search operation has concluded as corpses of the personnel have been recovered from the avalanche site.

The statement said, "Seven Army personnel who were struck by an avalanche in high altitude area of Kameng Sector in Arunachal Pradesh on 6 Feb have been confirmed dead, their bodies retrieved from the avalanche site."

"The bodies of the soldiers are currently being transferred from the avalanche site to the nearest Army medical facility for further formalities," it added.

The seven soldiers were part of a patrol team in the high-altitude Kameng sector. Specialised teams had been airlifted to the location for a search and rescue operation. The Kameng sector, located at an altitude of 14,500 feet, had been witnessing inclement weather with heavy snowfall over the last few days. Expressing grief over the incident, President Ram Nath Kovind said the death of soldiers is a tragedy beyond words. In his message on Twitter, he said, "The brave soldiers laid down their lives for the service of the nation. Their selfless sacrifice will always be remembered. My condolences to their families."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his message on the micro-blogging site said, "Saddened by the loss of lives of Indian Army personnel due to an avalanche in Arunachal Pradesh. We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation. Condolences to the bereaved families." Expressing his condolence, defence minister Rajnath Singh said, "Deeply pained by the demise of Indian Army personnel who were struck by an avalanche in Kemang Sector, Arunachal Pradesh. These brave soldiers lost their lives while serving the nation. I salute their courage and service. My heartfelt condolences to their bereaved families."

The force led by Army chief General MM Naravane and officers of all ranks also offered their deepest condolences to the bereaved families.

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