Islamabad - Pakistan search teams have found the first corpse of about 138 soldiers buried alive last month under an avalanche in the country's northern Himalayan region, a army spokesman said Sunday.
The April 7 avalanche submerged a military base housing the Northern Light Infantry in the Gyari sector of Siachen - an area claimed by both Pakistan and India.
A spokesman told dpa that about 50 days of search efforts on Saturday evening resulted in the discovery of the main check post of the camp.
“Soon after that they found the body of a soldier,” he said, on condition of anonymity. “His funeral prayer was later offered and the body sent ... for proper burial.”
The Pakistan army flew in earth-moving machines, excavators and dumpers to remove the heavy slush of snow and boulders but inclement weather has hampered the operation.
Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kaynai, has said that the work will continue until all of the bodies are recovered.
Siachen glacier is located at a height of more than 7,000 metres, where Indian and Pakistan have deployed troops since 1984.
The two countries fought a bitter war on what is believed to be the world's highest battlefield, in sub-zero temperatures, until a ceasefire was agreed in November 2003.
It is believed that India and Pakistan have lost more men to avalanches and the weather than actual fighting.
- Sapa-dpa-IOL
Showing posts with label Avalanche. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Avalanche. Show all posts
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Saturday, 5 May 2012
Avalanche in Nepal on Saturday, 05 May, 2012 at 11:18 (11:18 AM) UTC.
A flooded mountain river swept away dozens of people along with their houses, farms and cattle Saturday in western Nepal, officials said.Police official Shailesh Thapa said five bodies have been pulled out from the Seti river in Kaski district. Police are searching for more victims.There are several people believed to be missing, including three Russian tourists who were trekking in the area, Thapa said. The names of the Russians were not yet known.Police teams were trying to reach the village in the Mount Annapurna area where the flooding had started.The flooding even reached the tourist resort town of Pokhara, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of the capital, Katmandu.
The Annapurna region is popular area for thousands of trekkers who visit the area every year. May is the end of the trekking season, so there are not many trekkers left in the region.The Seti river is a main source of water for the people in the region, and many villages are located on the banks of the river.
-RSOE Edis
The Annapurna region is popular area for thousands of trekkers who visit the area every year. May is the end of the trekking season, so there are not many trekkers left in the region.The Seti river is a main source of water for the people in the region, and many villages are located on the banks of the river.
-RSOE Edis
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
U.S. team reaches Pakistan avalanche site
(CNN) -- A U.S. team was at work Monday at a Himalayan military outpost in Pakistan, joining the search for as many as 139 people buried in a massive avalanche.
The eight-member U.S. group of experts arrived Sunday, the official news agency Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
Three experts from Switzerland and six from Germany were on their way to Pakistan on Monday as well, according to the Pakistani military.
About 300 Pakistani soldiers and civilians were working at the rescue site, using heavy machinery and helicopters, the military said.
APP said around 124 troops and 11 civilians could be trapped. The military said Sunday that as many as 139 people were believed trapped.
A blanket of rock and snow covering one square kilometer -- about the size of a large city block -- slid over the base on the Siachen glacier near the Indian border on Saturday morning, burying it under 70 feet of snow.
It was the first such disaster at the mountain headquarters in its two decades of existence, the military said.
The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad expressed condolences for those who have lost their lives, and offered "any assistance that Pakistan requires in the aftermath of this tragedy."
- CNN
The eight-member U.S. group of experts arrived Sunday, the official news agency Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
Three experts from Switzerland and six from Germany were on their way to Pakistan on Monday as well, according to the Pakistani military.
About 300 Pakistani soldiers and civilians were working at the rescue site, using heavy machinery and helicopters, the military said.
APP said around 124 troops and 11 civilians could be trapped. The military said Sunday that as many as 139 people were believed trapped.
A blanket of rock and snow covering one square kilometer -- about the size of a large city block -- slid over the base on the Siachen glacier near the Indian border on Saturday morning, burying it under 70 feet of snow.
It was the first such disaster at the mountain headquarters in its two decades of existence, the military said.
The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad expressed condolences for those who have lost their lives, and offered "any assistance that Pakistan requires in the aftermath of this tragedy."
- CNN
Bad weather hits Pakistan avalanche search
The site of an avalanche that buried more than 130 people in a mountainous region of Pakistan is seen in this aerial photograph released by Pakistani authorities Sunday.
The search for some 139 people, mostly soldiers, buried in 80 feet of snow by an avalanche in a mountainous area of northern Pakistan is being hampered by bad weather, according to the U.S. Embassy.
A Pakistani military official told NBC News Monday that so far not "a single body" had been recovered, two days after the avalanche struck Saturday morning.
More than 200 Pakistani soldiers are involved in the rescue effort in Gayari, Siachen, deep in the Himalayan mountains at an altitude of about 15,000 feet.
An eight-member U.S. technical team arrived in Pakistan on Sunday, but were still in the capital Monday.
The U.S. expert team is still in Islamabad. Inclement weather and snow fall are hampering the efforts," a U.S. Embassy spokesman told NBC News.
A team of experts from Germany arrived Monday.
Teams are reportedly working in freezing temperatures and in treacherous terrain in an attempt find any surviving comrades buried under the snow.
- NBC News and msnbc.com
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Pakistani rescuers resume search for 135 trapped in avalanche
(CNN) -- Rescue crews resumed their frantic search Sunday at a Himalayan military outpost near the Indian border where a massive avalanche buried up to 135 people, all but 11 of them Pakistani soldiers.
A blanket of rock and snow covering one square kilometer -- about the size of a large city block -- slid over the base on the Siachen glacier early Saturday morning, entombing it under 70 feet of snow.
The Siachen Glacier, known as the world's highest battleground, is 6,300 meters (20,670 feet) high and spans 77 kilometers (47 miles) across the Line of Control that separates India- and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
Poor weather had forced the crews to retreat Saturday night, after a day-long search at the base yielded no survivors.
"It's a very massive scale slide," said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said Saturday. "They are under the slide but we haven't lost hope. The rescue work is on, and we are keeping our fingers crossed."
Crews flew in heavy machinery flown from neighboring Rawalpindi. Sniffer dogs and troops using bulldozers worked the ground.
Abbas said the military had not been able to establish contact with anyone inside the base since the avalanche.
It was the first such disaster at the mountain headquarters in its two decades of existence, the military said.
India, too, maintains a base on its side of the disputed glacier in the Kashmir region.
Kashmir has been a source of bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947.
Under terms that the two countries agreed to at the time, Kashmir's rulers could either opt to merge with India or Pakistan or remain independent.
One part sided with Pakistan.
The ruler of the other part sided with India, where most people are Hindu. That caused controversy among the region's Muslim majority. Many of them wanted to align with Pakistan, where Islam is the dominant religion.
Since then, the Kashmir issue has been the leading cause of conflict and two of three wars between the two countries.
The Line of Control was formally established in 1972.
But there have been routine accusations that both sides fire across the line -- accusations both have denied.
In 1984, India occupied key portions of the glacier. Three years later, the two sides fought bitterly over Siachen.
Both maintain year-round military camps on their sides of the disputed mountainous region.
In February, two avalanches swept over military camps in the Indian-controlled side of Kashmir, killing at least 11 soldiers.
The avalanches hit two army camps in the health resort of Sonamarg and at Dawar, a town close to the Line of Control.
In January, another avalanche hit a joint patrol of the Indian army and border security forces in the Keran area, killing seven.
Winter in Kashmir this season is harsher than previous years, with several snowfalls and sharp dips in temperatures.
- CNN
A blanket of rock and snow covering one square kilometer -- about the size of a large city block -- slid over the base on the Siachen glacier early Saturday morning, entombing it under 70 feet of snow.
The Siachen Glacier, known as the world's highest battleground, is 6,300 meters (20,670 feet) high and spans 77 kilometers (47 miles) across the Line of Control that separates India- and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
Poor weather had forced the crews to retreat Saturday night, after a day-long search at the base yielded no survivors.
"It's a very massive scale slide," said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said Saturday. "They are under the slide but we haven't lost hope. The rescue work is on, and we are keeping our fingers crossed."
Crews flew in heavy machinery flown from neighboring Rawalpindi. Sniffer dogs and troops using bulldozers worked the ground.
Abbas said the military had not been able to establish contact with anyone inside the base since the avalanche.
It was the first such disaster at the mountain headquarters in its two decades of existence, the military said.
India, too, maintains a base on its side of the disputed glacier in the Kashmir region.
Kashmir has been a source of bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947.
Under terms that the two countries agreed to at the time, Kashmir's rulers could either opt to merge with India or Pakistan or remain independent.
One part sided with Pakistan.
The ruler of the other part sided with India, where most people are Hindu. That caused controversy among the region's Muslim majority. Many of them wanted to align with Pakistan, where Islam is the dominant religion.
Since then, the Kashmir issue has been the leading cause of conflict and two of three wars between the two countries.
The Line of Control was formally established in 1972.
But there have been routine accusations that both sides fire across the line -- accusations both have denied.
In 1984, India occupied key portions of the glacier. Three years later, the two sides fought bitterly over Siachen.
Both maintain year-round military camps on their sides of the disputed mountainous region.
In February, two avalanches swept over military camps in the Indian-controlled side of Kashmir, killing at least 11 soldiers.
The avalanches hit two army camps in the health resort of Sonamarg and at Dawar, a town close to the Line of Control.
In January, another avalanche hit a joint patrol of the Indian army and border security forces in the Keran area, killing seven.
Winter in Kashmir this season is harsher than previous years, with several snowfalls and sharp dips in temperatures.
- CNN
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Avalanche buries scores of Pakistani soldiers
ISLAMABAD -- An avalanche buried more than 100 Pakistani soldiers near the Siachen glacier on the border with India, officials told NBC News on Saturday.
Hectic efforts were being made to dig out the troops with other soldiers, sniffer dogs and helicopters all involved in the search.
"Around a hundred soldiers, including a colonel, have been buried under a snow slide early this morning at Gayari sector near Skardu," a Pakistan military spokesman said in a statement.
Siachen is on the northern tip of the divided Kashmir region claimed by both India and Pakistan.
A security official told The Associated Press that snow engulfed a battalion headquarters in Gayari district at 6 a.m local time Saturday.
Earlier reports spoke of 130 and 150 troops being buried.
Pakistani and Indian troops have faced each other in the area -- dubbed the world's highest battlefield -- since 1984. Many troops from both sides have died because of the extreme cold weather.
Over the years, several attempts to find a diplomatic solution that would see troops pulled back to peace-time positions have failed.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is due to visit India Sunday.
Though his visit is officially to pray at a Muslim shrine at Ajmer city, he will be attending a lunch in his honor held by the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
A Pakistani government official said the two leaders would hold talks that "would encompass all issues including Siachen and Sir Creek."
- MSNBC + ABC News
Hectic efforts were being made to dig out the troops with other soldiers, sniffer dogs and helicopters all involved in the search.
"Around a hundred soldiers, including a colonel, have been buried under a snow slide early this morning at Gayari sector near Skardu," a Pakistan military spokesman said in a statement.
Siachen is on the northern tip of the divided Kashmir region claimed by both India and Pakistan.
A security official told The Associated Press that snow engulfed a battalion headquarters in Gayari district at 6 a.m local time Saturday.
Earlier reports spoke of 130 and 150 troops being buried.
Pakistani and Indian troops have faced each other in the area -- dubbed the world's highest battlefield -- since 1984. Many troops from both sides have died because of the extreme cold weather.
Over the years, several attempts to find a diplomatic solution that would see troops pulled back to peace-time positions have failed.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is due to visit India Sunday.
Though his visit is officially to pray at a Muslim shrine at Ajmer city, he will be attending a lunch in his honor held by the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
A Pakistani government official said the two leaders would hold talks that "would encompass all issues including Siachen and Sir Creek."
- MSNBC + ABC News
Monday, 19 March 2012
Avalanche buries six foreign skiers in Norway
Six tourists have been buried in an avalanche in northern Norway, the BBC and NHK report.
The tourists were among 12 foreign skiers on Mt. Sorbmegaisa in Kaafjord when the accident occurred this afternoon, according to local police.
A medical helicopter and army personnel have been sent to the scene, the BBC reports.
Update at 11:34 a.m. ET: The Norwegian broadcaster NHK reports that one of the victims has been rescued alive.
- USAToday
The tourists were among 12 foreign skiers on Mt. Sorbmegaisa in Kaafjord when the accident occurred this afternoon, according to local police.
A medical helicopter and army personnel have been sent to the scene, the BBC reports.
Update at 11:34 a.m. ET: The Norwegian broadcaster NHK reports that one of the victims has been rescued alive.
- USAToday
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Avalanche buries village in northeast Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Afghan authorities say an avalanche has destroyed a village in northeastern Afghanistan, with scores feared dead.
Deputy governor of Badakhshan province Shams Ul Rahman said Tuesday that 37 people have been confirmed dead, but that he expects the toll to rise.
The avalanche occurred Sunday night in Darwaz district. He says it took government officials in the provincial capital of Faizabad 11 hours to drive to the remote area.
People from nearby villages uncovered 37 bodies, but the recovery work continues.
He says 200 people lived in the village and that initial reports are that only three women and one child survived.
- AP/USA Today
Deputy governor of Badakhshan province Shams Ul Rahman said Tuesday that 37 people have been confirmed dead, but that he expects the toll to rise.
The avalanche occurred Sunday night in Darwaz district. He says it took government officials in the provincial capital of Faizabad 11 hours to drive to the remote area.
People from nearby villages uncovered 37 bodies, but the recovery work continues.
He says 200 people lived in the village and that initial reports are that only three women and one child survived.
- AP/USA Today
Monday, 27 February 2012
Avalanche Danger at a High This Season
DENVER (AP) -- Business is lagging this year at the Boulder Outdoor Center, where adventurers come to book and buy equipment for ski trips into the backcountry.
Except, that is, in one area. The outfitter's avalanche training courses keep selling out.
An influx of new daredevils combined with an historically dangerous season in the high country have played into this strange mix at the Colorado shop and around the West, where 17 people have been killed by avalanches so far this season.
"Basically, my answer is, it's multiple levels of gray," said the Outdoor Center's Eric Bader, when asked to explain this year's troubling numbers. "Yes, there are more people going out to the backcountry who don't have a clue. On the other end of the extreme, nobody's perfect. Anyone who goes out in the backcountry takes some level of risk. Sometimes, they don't do enough to minimize that risk, to be as smart as they can when the risk gets high."
In Colorado this year, the risk is high.
Early-season snow followed by several weeks of dry weather in the mountains created a grainy, unstable base of snow. Heavy snowfall later in the winter, accompanied by strong winds that piled the snow onto downwind-facing slopes, has created the ultimate recipe for avalanche conditions. So far this season, six people have died in Colorado. Last week, four people died in Washington, where expert backcountry skiers and snowboarders met up with tragedy despite taking precautions.
"It's unpredictable," said Joel Hammond, one of the survivors, in an interview with KING-TV in Seattle. "But we choose that part of the game, to go out and be in places where it isn't necessarily controlled by the ski patrol. That's the risk we take. That's part of the sport. But it's also what we live for."
Spread liberally across the YouTube and the rest of the Internet are hundreds of videos of avalanches triggered by backcountry skiers, boarders and snowmobilers who escape tragedy by the barest of minimums.
It's this kind of thrill-seeking, along with an increase in the acreage of "out of bounds" areas that have been opened to adventurers over the last five to 10 years, that has made it more possible for avalanches to kill.
But it's not just newcomers who are vulnerable to conditions during an unpredictable winter that's on pace to finish well above the national yearly average of 29 avalanche deaths. In November, professional skier Jamie Pierre, who once famously jumped off a 255-foot cliff, died in the Utah mountains while at a resort that wasn't yet open and had not begun avalanche control.
"It's a broader intersection of where people like to ski and where avalanches happen," said Ethan Greene, the director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. "Then, you amp up what the risk-taker group likes to do. They want to ski aesthetic lines, the steepest mountain runs, jumping off cliffs. I don't think they're doing it because they want to trigger an avalanche. It's not because they want to die. They do it because that's what's fun about it."
Because the whole notion of "out-of-bounds" skiing goes against following widely posted rules and warnings, it's no surprise that advisories, watches and warnings often are ignored or taken with a grain of salt. For instance, a wide swath of Colorado was under a high-risk avalanche warning earlier this week. That was downgraded to "considerable" risk for the weekend, yet risk-takers still will be out there.
"All you can tell them is to compare it to crossing a really busy, four-lane highway," Greene said. "You generally tell people that's not a good idea. But if you're going to do it, tell them to stand to the side of the road, watch traffic and recognize a spot where they can get across safely."
In addition to the six deaths in Colorado and the four in Washington, three people have died in avalanches in Utah, three in Montana and one in Wyoming.
Although Greene emphasizes that this has been a particularly bad year from a snowpack perspective, Bader says there's a human-nature element that plays into the spike in backcountry skiing, which puts more people at risk.
"As a human race, everything seems to be ramping up and getting more extreme," Bader said. "Scary movies aren't the same as they were 20, 30 years ago. There's more violence on TV. Everything keeps ramping up. We're doing the same thing with sports, always trying to do better than the previous person -- ski steeper, go faster. That's basically leading to more accidents."
Greene said there are three obvious signs that you're in an avalanche zone:
If you see a fresh avalanche near where you're skiing, it's a good bet that there will be other slides on similar slopes that face the same way, with the same pitch and same elevation.
If you're snowshoeing and you see cracks shooting through the snow in front of you.
If you hear a low, rumbling, "whoompfing"' sound.
"Those are all signs that the snowpack where you're at is prime for an avalanche," he said.
At the Boulder Outdoor Center, they teach all those things, along with the importance of carrying avalanche gear -- beacons, shovels, balloon packs -- and knowing how to use it.
"When they let you go into the backcountry, they're saying, `Here, we're letting you go outside of the boundaries,"' Bader said. "It's user beware. We're not responsible for that. But in many cases, I think the knowledge that people need to have to go outside those gates has not kept up with the increased accessibility. There are so many new people getting out there."
- Weather.com and The Associated Press
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Dutch prince's life 'still in danger' after avalanche
VIENNA — The Netherlands government said Saturday that Prince Johan Friso spent a quiet night in the hospital, but his life remained in danger after he was injured in an avalanche while skiing in Austria.
The 43-year-old second son of Dutch Queen Beatrix was rushed to the intensive care unit of Innsbruck's main hospital Friday after he was buried by the snow slide.
He had been skiing off marked trails in the westernmost Lech winter sports region.
Dutch prince injured in Austria avalanche.
"His life is still in danger, but he had a calm and stable night," the government said in a statement Saturday.
The Dutch daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad said the prince suffered serious oxygen deprivation after being buried for some 20 minutes but had no other major injuries.
- AP
The 43-year-old second son of Dutch Queen Beatrix was rushed to the intensive care unit of Innsbruck's main hospital Friday after he was buried by the snow slide.
He had been skiing off marked trails in the westernmost Lech winter sports region.
Dutch prince injured in Austria avalanche.
"His life is still in danger, but he had a calm and stable night," the government said in a statement Saturday.
The Dutch daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad said the prince suffered serious oxygen deprivation after being buried for some 20 minutes but had no other major injuries.
- AP
Friday, 17 February 2012
Dutch Govt: Queen's Son Badly Hurt by Avalanche
(AP)The Netherlands says the younger son of Queen Beatrix has been seriously injured in an avalanche and his "life remains at risk" after being hospitalized.
The government says Prince Friso was buried Friday by an avalanche in the ski resort of Lech and has been admitted to an Innsbruck hospital. A statement said he is in the intensive care unit.
The statement said "doctors treating him describe the prince's condition as stable, but his life remains at risk."
Members of the royal family are skiing in the Austrian mountain village of Lech, which has been hit by heavy snowfall in recent days.
- ABC News
The government says Prince Friso was buried Friday by an avalanche in the ski resort of Lech and has been admitted to an Innsbruck hospital. A statement said he is in the intensive care unit.
The statement said "doctors treating him describe the prince's condition as stable, but his life remains at risk."
Members of the royal family are skiing in the Austrian mountain village of Lech, which has been hit by heavy snowfall in recent days.
- ABC News
Sunday, 12 February 2012
At least 3 killed in avalanche in Kosovo
PODGORICA, Montenegro — An avalanche hit a village in Kosovo's mountainous south Saturday, killing a married couple and their 17-year-old son and leaving nine others missing, police said, as heavy snow continued to blanket the Balkans.
The village of Restelica, where the deaths occurred, and its region bordering Macedonia and Albania have been blocked by snow for several days, Kosovo police spokesman Baki Kelani said. NATO peacekeepers have been called in to help local authorities in the rescue operation.
In neighboring Montenegro, authorities proclaimed a state of emergency after the heaviest snow there in 63 years sealed off hundreds of villages, shut down roads and railways and closed the main airport in the tiny Balkan state on Saturday.
Snow virtually sealed off the capital Podgorica, closing its airport and hampering rail and road traffic. At 52 centimeters (20 inches) high, it was the biggest snowfall in the capital since 1949.
The state rail company said an avalanche had blocked a train's route near the mountain town of Kolasin and another engine had to rescue the 50 passengers.
The cold snap in Europe, which began in late January, has killed hundreds of people — most of them homeless. Boat traffic on the frozen Danube river — one of Europe's key waterways — has been unable to move for the longest time in recent memory.
In Serbia, overnight snowfall hampered operations to reach about 20,000 households in remote villages, which have been cut off since the blizzards started more than two weeks ago. The country has been hit by electricity shortages, with authorities ordering a public holiday Friday to preserve energy.
Schools and universities will be closed to save electricity for the whole of next week.
High winds and blizzards closed many roads and highways on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia on Saturday, with unprecedented snow blanketing some of its islands and tourist resorts. About 3,000 households in western Croatia were affected by power cuts because of the bad weather.
Below-freezing temperatures also persisted across Germany. In Hamburg, tens of thousands of people crowded onto the frozen Aussenalster lake in the city center.
In Italy, farm lobbies said that weeks of freezing cold and a string of snowstorms have prevented fruit, vegetables and meat from reaching market, leaving around 100,000 tons of products to rot. Dairy farmers also warned that unless roads linking them to markets are cleared soon, milk will spoil.
Snow also continued to fall in the country's north-central regions, accentuating problems in towns in the Apennine mountains and near the Adriatic still struggling with several snowstorms in two weeks. The capital, Rome, dug its way out of its second snowfall in a week. Before this winter, its last significant snowstorm was in 1986. Several Italian airports had delays or cancellations.
Snow also hit southern Italy. In the town of Castelvenere, a funeral had to be canceled when snow blocked the arrival of a coffin to church.
- MSNBC/AP
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Afghan Avalanche Toll Reaches 46
Officials say heavy snow and avalanches in Afghanistan's far northeast have killed at least 46 people since last week.
President Hamid Karzai has declared an emergency in mountainous Badakhshan province and promised a relief fund of $160,000.
A statement from Karzai's office on Tuesday quoted provincial officials with the updated death toll and said 60 had been injured by avalanches.
Afghanistan's harsh winters and mountainous terrain make avalanches an annual danger. Last year, at least 171 people died in an avalanche at the Salang Pass, the major route through the Hindu Kush mountains connecting the Afghan capital of Kabul to the north of the country.
- AP
President Hamid Karzai has declared an emergency in mountainous Badakhshan province and promised a relief fund of $160,000.
A statement from Karzai's office on Tuesday quoted provincial officials with the updated death toll and said 60 had been injured by avalanches.
Afghanistan's harsh winters and mountainous terrain make avalanches an annual danger. Last year, at least 171 people died in an avalanche at the Salang Pass, the major route through the Hindu Kush mountains connecting the Afghan capital of Kabul to the north of the country.
- AP
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