Snow slides kill Pakistani soldiers, civilians along LoC

At least nine people, including five Pakistani soldiers, were killed and several others were missing after being hit by snow slides along the Line of Control.

A military spokesperson said today that rescue teams had found the bodies of five soldiers and four civilians who were buried by snow slides yesterday.

A snow slide in the Sharda or Kel sector of the LoC killed three Pakistani soldiers yesterday, and eight soldiers and 10 civilians sent to rescue them went missing after being hit by a second snow slide.

The bodies of five soldiers, including an officer, and four civilians were dug out of the snow by search and rescue teams today, the military spokesman said.

The search for the remaining missing persons was continuing, he said.

Rescue efforts were being hampered by bad weather, officials in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir said.

The snow slides had occurred in a region located 130 km from Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK.

In April, about 140 soldiers and civilians were buried when an avalanche hit a Pakistan Army base near the Siachen glacier.

More than 120 bodies have been found so far and a search is continuing for the rest.