An army jawan who was buried under snow following an avalanche in the Siachen glacier has been found alive, news agency Press Trust of India has reported. For six days, Lance Naik Hanamanthappa was buried under 25 feet of snow in temperatures that hovered above minus 40 degrees Celsius.
On February 3, Lance Naik Hanamanthappa was caught in the avalanche along with nine soldiers. Rescue efforts had been on since, though on February 4, the army said hopes of finding anyone alive were “very remote”.
“It was a miraculous rescue, all efforts are being made to evacuate Lance Naik Hanamanthappa to the RR Hospital (Army’s Research and Referral hospital) in the morning,” Lieutenant General of Northern Army Commander DS Hooda said. Watch the rescue operation video.