Srinagar

The Indian Army and General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) rescued 30 civilians stuck on Chowkibal-Tangdhar road (NH-701) amid snowfall and two avalanches on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

The Army's Public Relations Officer (PRO), Srinagar, said two rescue teams from the Army and a team of GREF reached the NC pass as soon as they received the information of civilians being stuck near Khooni Nala and SM Hill on NH 701.

 

 Vehicles carrying children, sick, elderly and women were stuck in the snow following the avalanches. After much hard work, the team evacuated 30 passengers, including a patient with a heart condition, to safety.  This timely action of the army is being widely welcomed at the public level

"Despite adverse weather conditions compounded by twin avalanches, 14 civilians were rescued and brought to Neelam and 16 civilians to NC pass, which is also commonly known as Sadhna pass," the Army said in a statement.

All the rescued civilians were provided food, medical care, and shelter for the night, the Army said.

Twelve vehicles were later retrieved on Tuesday after the snow had been cleared.

The video of the rescue released by the Army PRO was shared by journalists on Twitter:

Indian Army rescues 30 civilians during avalanches near Sadhna Pass in Tangdhar of North Kashmir. 12 vehicles were also later retrieved and snow clearance operations conducted in dangerous conditions. Entire effort took about five to six hours. Kudos to the forces! pic.twitter.com/msBoXR4qQ5

— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) January 18, 2022

"GREF played a difficult but stellar role in snow clearance amidst dangerous conditions. The entire effort took about five to six hours," the statement said.

"It may be highlighted that last year also civilians were rescued by the troops near Khooni Nala, closer to NC pass, as the area is prone to avalanches and snow slides. The Indian Army stands by its tradition of helping out the citizens during their hour of need," it said.