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Avalanche kills troops in Kashmir | Avalanche kills troops in Kashmir |
(about 3 hours later) | |
At least 17 Indian soldiers have been killed after an avalanche struck a military training camp in Indian-administered Kashmir, the army says. | |
Dozens of troops were rescued after the avalanche struck near Gulmarg, the region's main ski resort, about 50km (30 miles) west of Srinagar. | |
The army said 17 soldiers were injured. Rescue teams have returned to base. | |
About 400 troops were stationed at the high-altitude camp, part of which is said to have been engulfed in snow. | |
Tourists appear to have been unaffected by the avalanche because it happened at a higher altitude than the nearby ski resort. | |
'High winds' | 'High winds' |
The soldiers were on a training exercise at the Indian army's high altitude warfare school, nearly 3,000m (9,900 feet) above sea level in the Khelenmarg mountains. | |
class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/7899152.stm">Ski respite for war weary Kashmiris | |
"We have 17 dead and 17 injured. No one is missing and rescue teams have returned to their bases," army spokesman Col Vineet Sood told the AFP news agency. | |
Heavy snow, fog and high winds hampered rescue efforts. | |
Casualty numbers rose steadily after reports of the disaster first emerged on Monday. Among the dead is at least one officer. | |
"It's been snowing here for the last four days," another army spokesman, Col Jagmohan Brar, told the BBC. | |
"We had about 70 people buried in the avalanche." | |
The avalanche struck close to the Line of Control, the disputed de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. | The avalanche struck close to the Line of Control, the disputed de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. |