Five soldiers missing along LoC, three after avalanche in Gurez

Srinagar: Five soldiers have gone missing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir's Gurez and Naugam sectors, following heavy snowfall in the valley since Monday, a defence official said on Tuesday.

Jammu and Kashmir is experiencing widespread snowfall and rain with the meteorological (MeT) office forecasting present weather conditions to continue till Thursday due to a western disturbance over the state.

"Two soldiers fell down a slope in Naugam sector (Kupwara district) while three others went missing from a forward post in the Kanzalwan sub-sector of Gurez (Bandipora district) during heavy snowfall," Defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said here.

Search and rescue operations are on to trace the five missing soldiers, he said.

Earlier, a police officer had said that the three soldiers in Gurez sector went missing after an avalanche hit their post at Baktoor near the LoC.

An army porter is missing since Monday after he came under an avalanche in Tulail in Gurez.