3 soldiers killed after avalanche

SRINAGAR: Three soldiers were killed and another injured after an avalanche in the Machil sector in north Kashmir's Kupwara district on Friday. The avalanche hit an army post of 21 Rajput around 4:30 pm at Sona Pandi Gali in Machil, according to reports. "In an unfortunate incident of an avalanche in Machhil sector, the Army lost three valiant soldiers," an army official said, adding that the bodies have been recovered. The avalanche struck two days after a 24-hour avalanche warning was issued in several districts of J&K, including Kupwara, on Wednesday, shortly after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake on the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border.