hree soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), died after they slipped into a deep gorge during patrolling along the Line of Control in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Army said on Wednesday.
An Army official said the JCO and two other rank soldiers were on a routine patrol in the Macchil sector when the trio slipped into the gorge on Tuesday.
“During a regular op task in forward area, a party of 01 JCO & 02 OR slipped into a deep gorge, when snow on the track gave way. Mortal remains of all the three #bravehearts have been retrieved,” the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps tweeted.
Giving details, a defence spokesman said the incident took place at around 5.30 pm on Tuesday when a team of soldiers was on a routine operational task along a narrow winter track.
“While moving towards the forward post, snow along the narrow track broke, leading to the slipping of one JCO and two jawans into a deep gorge,” the spokesman said.
He said a search and rescue operation was immediately launched with troops from the nearest post.
“Inspite of adverse weather conditions and rough terrain, sustained efforts of the search party led to the recovery.