Another tragedy at Siachen as army porter falls to death

A month after 10 Indian Army soldiers were killed in the snow avalanche, tragedy hit the world's highest battlefield again when a civilian porter working with army died after falling into a 130 deep crevasse at Siachen glacier.

The incident occurred on February 27 when the porter accidentally fell in the crevasse in the northern Siachen glacier. Indian army immediately launched the search and rescue mission to locate the missing porter.

This crevasse situated at an altitude of 19,000ft was 6ft long and 2-4ft wide. The depth reached by the rescue team was 130ft. However, the rescue operations were extremely slow as the width of crevasse had to be widened by cutting the blue ice.

Unfortunately, the deceased Porter Thukjay Gyasket, 40, of Leh district in Ladakh could not be saved from deep cold icy crevasse and his body was recovered after a herculean effort by the rescue team around noon on Tuesday. The mortal remains have been sent in an army ALH chopper to Field Hospital at Hunder for wreath laying and other ceremonies. Gyasket is survived by his mother, wife and two daughters.

Recently three crevasses opened up in the Northern Glacier on 25 February. These crevasses were bridged on February 26 and 27.

Chief of army staff General Dalbir Singh led the nation to pay tributes to the brave porter who died on the Siachen glacier. "It takes extraordinary courage, physical fitness and mental robustness for a civilian porter to work with the army in torturous and unforgiving terrain of Siachen. For me he is one of us. We will take all possible measures and not rest till we retrieve him," said General Singh.

Five days later Indian Army rescuers pulled off a miracle when they extricated Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad alive from the huge blocks of snow and ice at the altitude of 19600 feet on the world's highest battlefield of Siachen on Monday night. Lance Naik Koppad of Madras regiment however died of multiple organ failure in the Army Research and Referral Hospital, New Delhi some days later.

Indian Army has suffered huge causality with 14 soldiers losing their lives in the last two months at Siachen glacier. This is the highest casualty figures in the last four years on the world highest battlefield. Official figures reveal, 10 soldiers were killed at Saichen glacier in 2013. In 2014 and 2015, eight and nine soldiers respectively lost their lives at the glacier.

Indian Army has lost hundreds of soldiers to weather vagaries, including avalanches and frost bites, in the last 30 years.

Pakistani army suffered humiliating defeat in 1987 when Indian Army led by Honorary Captain Bana Singh captured their "Quaid" post located at 21,153 feet which was later named "Bana" post.

However, for the last 12 years, the 150 kilometer Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in Siachen, is witnessing calm following the border cease-fire in 2003. Before that the AGPL was a regular battlefield with both armies exchanging artillery and small arms fire to pin each other down.