Avalanche Buries 130 Pakistani Soldiers Near Border With India

An avalanche early on Saturday morning buried more than one hundred Pakistani soldiers at a military camp, according to several Pakistani television channels. No deaths have been reported, but casualties are expected. The massive avalanche hit a battalion headquartersaround 6:00 a.m.local time.

About 130 soldiers, including a colonel, are feared trapped in the snow and rescue teams from nearby regions have been rushed to the spot, according to a Reuters report.

Pakistani Major-General Athar Abbas said, At six o'clock this morning this avalanche hit a [military headquarters. Over 100 soldiers and personnel are trapped. The exact number of casualties was not yet known, according to Reuters.

Siachen is the northern tip of Kashmir, which both India and Pakistan claim as their territory. The combined number of troops deployed by both the countries in Siachen and nearby regions total an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers.

The disputed territory of Siachen region is 20,000 feet above the sea level and known as world's highest and coldest military combat field.

The snow-covered region is avalanche-prone and is considered a generally uninhabitable terrain. Natural calamities have claimed more casualties here than combat, Reuters reported.