Army Thursday said that though the rescue operation is going on in Siachen in Leh area of Ladakh, but the “chances of finding any survivors are now very remote”.Ten soldiers of an Army Post located at an altitude of 19600 feet in Siachen were hit by a massive avalanche in the wee hours of February 3 morning.The army said that specialised equipment was flown in to Leh today morning to further boost the rescue efforts as the operations by Army and the Air Force entered the second day.“The glaciated area presents temperatures ranging from a minimum of minus 42 degrees in the night to maximum of minus 25 degrees during the day. Rescue teams are braving adverse weather and effects of rarified atmosphere to locate and rescue survivors,” Col NN Joshi PRO (Def) Srinagar said in a statement to KNS.
“However, it is with deepest of regrets that we have to state that chances of finding any survivors are now very remote,” he said.Lt Gen DS Hooda, Army Commander, Northern Command has expressed his grief on the tragic incident.“It is a tragic event and we salute the soldiers who braved all challenges to guard our frontiers and made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty,” the PRO quoted Lt Gen DS Hooda as saying. (KNS)