Srinagar 23 April (KNB): The Indian Army troops of the Siachen Brigade launched a rescue operation to extricate the marooned civilians on the evening of Wednesday following a heavy snowfall, leading civilian vehicles getting stranded near Khardung La Top and North Pullu.
An official communique said that at a distance of 5 Km from North Pullu towards Khardung La Top, three vehicles were stranded between snow slides and one vehicle had overturned.
“Indian Army detachments from North Pullu alongwith the Avalanche Rescue Teams cleared the snow slide and rescued eight civilians from the site,” it added.
It further said that after checking their health parameters at North Pullu, few civilians who were from nearby Khardung Village were dropped off to their respective houses and the remainder were accommodated at Khalsar.
“At Khardung La Top, a total of 10 civilians and one Scorpio, one Civil Gypsy and a mini bus were rescued. They were provided immediate first aid and medical screening was carried out to check their vitals,” official communique said.
It also said that all these civilians were provided food and accommodation from within the limited resources available with the Indian Army detachment at the site.
“The timely and bold actions of the Indian Army in extreme weather saved precious human life and was well appreciated by the locals,” said an official. (KNB)