Indian soldier rescued from Siachen dies
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NEW DELHI: Indian army Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad who was found buried under 25 feet of snow on the Siachen glacier following an avalanche has died three days after his rescue, Times of India reported.
"Lance Naik Hanamanthappa is no more. He breathed his last at 11:45am today," a senior army official said.
Ten Indian soldiers were buried in under the avalanche on the glacier in India-held Kashmir (IHK) last week at an altitude of 19,600 feet. Koppad, who was found six days after the avalanche, was the only survivor.
Read: Indian army declines Pak offer of help to find its soldiers
Koppad was in extremely critical condition and suffered oxygen deprivation to the brain and pneumonia in both lungs, a medical bulletin said on Wednesday. His condition deteriorated despite aggressive therapy and supportive care, the bulletin said.
The 33-year-old soldier of the 19th Battalion of Madras Regiment hailed from the village of Betadur in Karnataka's Dharwad district. Koppad began serving at Siachen in August 2015. He began his army career 13 years ago.
Avalanches and extreme cold on the Siachen glacier have killed and maimed many more soldiers than active fighting has.
Know more: Killer Siachen — 'where a Pakistani soldier dies every four days from the cold'
“On an average, one Pakistani soldier is killed every fourth day, while one Indian soldier is killed every other day. The lack of oxygen at heights between 18,000 and 20,000 feet and prolonged periods of isolation are a lethal combination and take a heavy psychological toll," researcher Sajjad Padder wrote in his paper "Siachen Stalemate" in the International Journal of Peace and Development Studies.
Since April 1984, as many as 869 Indian soldiers have been killed by avalanches, exposure to extreme cold and altitude sickness, according to official records.
Pakistan has also lost hundreds of soldiers for the same reason. In 2012, a massive avalanche in lower Siachen killed 130 Pakistani soldiers at one go.
Since then, there has been an ongoing debate in Pakistan on the advisability of stationing soldiers at such a high altitude.
Read more: A letter from Siachen
Recently in Pakistan a play based on the conflict, titled “Siachen”, received rave reviews, and spotlighted the problems of soldiers based on the glacier. There is no such debate in India yet.
A former researcher at the Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment of India's defence ministry earlier said the frequency of avalanches has risen steadily since 1984, when Indian troops were first deployed on the Siachen glacier.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media, the scientist said both minimum and maximum winter temperatures on the glacier were showing steadily upward trends.
"That may sound like very good news to soldiers forced to live and patrol in temperatures that can go down to minus 40 (degrees Celsius). But these upward trends are not uniform; they fluctuate a lot. That cracks the ice and makes an avalanche more likely."
