Troops in fatal Kashmir avalanche

[Coventina]

Source: BBC

At least seven soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir have been killed in an avalanche in the Shamsabari mountain range, the army says.

Lt Col JS Brar told the BBC that the avalanche occurred in Kupwara district on Tuesday morning.

He said the soldiers who died were manning a counter-insurgency post. Eight other soldiers were rescued.

Soldiers and militants recently fought a six-day-long battle in the inhospitable Shamsabari range.

"The eight have been provided medical aid and their condition is stable," a military spokesman told the Associated Press news agency.

Correspondents say that Kupwara is close to India's de facto border with Pakistan, 130km (80 miles) north of Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The area is notorious for its frequent rain and heavy snow.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7997989.stm