Lance Naik Hanamanthappa, who was miraculously found alive after > remaining buried in snow for six days , was on Tuesday evacuated to the army’s base camp at the Siachen Glacier from where he is being flown to Delhi’s Research and Referral Hospital in a special air ambulance.
He will be brought to the Palam technical airport and airlifted to the hospital, army sources said.
Thappa, who hails from Karnataka, was found alive on Monday after being buried under 25 feet of snow for six days after an avalanche hit his post at the altitude of 19,600 feet close to the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan where the temperature was minus 45 degrees Celsius.
Operation in progress to find the soldiers, who were buried alive after an avalanche hit an Army post, with additional specialised equipment and teams deployed at the site. Photo: Special Arrangement
The other nine personnel at the post, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and eight other ranks of Madras Regiment, have died, according to Lt. Gen D.S. Hooda, Northern Army Commander. The bodies of the remaining 9 soldiers were recovered on Tuesday.
Lt. Gen. Hooda had earlier said, "Lance Naik Hanamanthappa has been found alive. He is critical but all attempts are being made to evacuate him to RR hospital in the morning. We hope the miracle continues. Pray with us."
The Army’s rescue parties were cutting through up to 30 feet of ice at multiple locations where the soldiers could probably be buried. “The probable locations are identified using specialised equipment,” said the spokesman.
