Indian soldiers buried under Kashmir snow rescued

In this photograph released by the Indian Army on Friday, the site of a snow avalanche is pictured in Gurez sector, some 130 kms north of Srinagar. Rescuers retrieved the bodies on Friday of another four Indian soldiers buried beneath tons of snow in Kashmir, taking the death toll from a series of avalanches to 20. (AFP / Indian Army handout photo)

SRINAGAR, India: Five Indian soldiers have been rescued alive after they were buried under heavy snow Saturday in Kashmir, where 20 people were killed by avalanches earlier this week, a military official said.
“All the five soldiers were successfully rescued and are undergoing treatment,” Col. Rajesh Kalia told AFP.
The soldiers had been approaching a border post in Machil, northwest of the main city of Srinagar along the Line of Control (LoC) that divides the territory with Pakistan, when the track they were following caved in.
Another army officer said on condition of anonymity that the five soldiers were in a critical condition and hostile weather prevented them from being flown to a base hospital in the main city of Srinagar 140 kilometers away.
On Wednesday, 15 Indian soldiers died when a patrol and two camps were hit by avalanches in the north of the territory, that is also claimed by Pakistan.
It took rescuers two days to retrieve their bodies from under tons of snow.
Five civilians were also killed this week, including four members of a family when an avalanche ripped through their home as they slept.
Dozens of Indian and Pakistani soldiers lose their lives due to avalanches almost every winter along the LoC.
Indian-administered Kashmir has been witnessing one of the most severe winters in recent decades, with heavy snow across the territory and temperatures dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit).