SRINAGAR, Jan 10: Seven Indian soldiers and eight of their porters were feared dead after two avalanches hit army posts in occupied Kashmir, officials said on Thursday.

Two soldiers were killed in the Himalayan northern Machil sector when an avalanche hit their post late Wednesday, army spokesman Manjinder Singh told AFP.

Another five soldiers and eight of their civilian porters went missing after a “massive avalanche” rolled over their post in the neighbouring Uri sector, he said, adding two of the soldiers’ bodies have been recovered.

“Heavy snowfall and more avalanches are hampering rescue operations,” Singh said, adding that the chances of survival were “bleak”.

The Indian army used to abandon high-altitude posts along the Line of Control during the winter, but since Kashmiri freedom fighters captured some of the posts in 1999, the army has been staying despite adverse weather.

At some points more than 40 feet (12 metres) of snow accumulates over the posts, which are stockpiled with food and kerosene before winter sets in.

Meanwhile, a tourist from Norway has gone missing in the ski resort of Gulmarg, about 50 kilometres west of Srinagar.—AFP