Avalanche: 5 jawans, 5 civilians killed

Srinagar : Four army soldiers, a BSF constable and five civilians were killed in avalanches in Kupwara and Ganderbal districts in Jammu & Kashmir.

An army party was hit by an avalanche in the Machhil sector close to the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday night in which five army jawans were trapped under the snow. Rescue parties immediately reached the spot and an operation was started.

"We took out all the five jawans buried under the snow while four of them succumbed," Shriram Ambarker, SP, Kupwara, told IANS.

A Border Security Force (BSF) constable was killed after an avalanche hit the force's deployment on the Line of Control (LoC) in Naugam sector on Monday evening, the paramilitary force said on Tuesday.

The incident took place around 8.30 p.m. after which a search and rescue operation was launched, the BSF said.

Six out of seven BSF personnel deployed in the area were safely rescued but one constable was trapped and he could not be revived despite efforts, said the BSF.

Five civilians were also killed in an avalanche in Ganderbal district. Two bodies were found on Monday night and three were found on Tuesday morning. The bodies were handed over to their relatives.