Hope Fades for 135 People Feared Dead in Pakistan Avalanche

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2012-04-09

Pakistan continued its search Sunday for the 135 soldiers and civilians buried by a massive avalanche in mountainous Kashmir near the Indian border, as hopes of finding any survivors faded quickly.

Military officials said no bodies have been recovered nearly 36 hours after a 20-meter wall of snow crashed into a military complex in the Siachen Glacier region early Saturday.

Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, visited the disaster site Sunday and supervised rescue efforts on the remote 6,000-meter peak, involving helicopters, search dogs, troops, doctors and paramedics.

Both Pakistan and India have military outposts in the area, known as the world's highest battlefield, where the inhospitable climate and avalanche-prone terrain have claimed more lives than gunfire.

The Pakistan military said 124 soldiers from the 6 Northern Light Infantry Battalion and 11 civilians were buried under the snow.

Pakistan and India have thousands of troops stationed in Kashmir, which both nations claim in full. Territorial disputes over control of the rugged region have sparked two wars between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

Source: Voice of America

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