#SiachenMiracle: Army pulls out buried jawan, Twitter prays for him

Six days after being thought dead, an army jawan was found buried alive under 25 feet of snow on Monday following an avalanche that wiped out an Indian post on Siachen glacier.

Six days after being thought dead, an army jawan was found buried alive under 25 feet of snow on Monday following an avalanche that wiped out an Indian post on Siachen glacier.

Specialised teams of the Army have been conducting search operations with the help of the Air Force over Siachen glacier. An avalanche on February 3 hit an army outpost, burying 10 army jawans. (PTI)

Ten soldiers were believed dead after the avalanche hit the post on February 3, five of whose bodies were recovered. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 4 extended his condolences to the soldiers, while tributes were paid nationwide. So when news of the surviving soldier emerged, social media erupted with joy and wishes for the soldier who is currently critical . The Twitter hashtag #SiachenMiracle was the top trend by Tuesday morning as people took to the microblog to convey their regards and wish him well.

“Five bodies have been recovered so far and four bodies have been identified. All other soldiers are regrettably no more with us,” he told PTI.

The Siachen glacier is the world’s highest battlefield at an altitude of 19,600 feet and located close to the Line of Control (LoC). Rescue personnel had to dig through almost 40 feet of frozen ice to find the surviving soldier and his dead comrades. The operation faced its own challenges like bad weather in the form of a blizzard, freezing temperatures and extremely low visibility.

Close to a thousand soldiers have died on the glacier, more often from the harsh conditions than from military offences. India moved into the Saltoro Range and the Siachen glacier in the mid-1980s following conflict with Pakistan over the disputed region.