135 missing in avalanche

Rescuers dug into a huge wall of snow left by an avalanche that buried a Pakistani military camp on Saturday, burying at least 135 people. The missing include 124 soldiers and 11 civilians.

"We are waiting for news and keeping our fingers crossed," army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said.

"This avalanche hit a [military] headquarters. Over 100 soldiers and personnel are trapped," Abbas said. He later noted that, despite hours of searching, no bodies or survivors had been found.

"It's too early to say anything," he said when asked about the chances of finding survivors more than 12 hours after the disaster.

Rescue effort

Hundreds of troops, sniffer dogs and mechanical equipment were sent to the scene, but they struggled to make much headway into the avalanche, which crashed down onto the rear headquarters building early in the morning, burying it under some 20 meters (70 feet) of snow.

Rescue efforts were reportedly hindered late on Saturday by darkness and bad weather.

"It's on a massive scale," Abbas explained. "Everything is completely covered."

The avalanche hit near the disputed Kashmir border with India, near the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram mountain range.

"This happened at six o'clock. These avalanches usually happen at night. It took them by surprise," Abbas said.

Risky job

Soldiers are in this remote region as result of the hostility between India and Pakistan. In the world’s so-called highest battlefield, India and Pakistan have fought at altitudes higher than 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) for nearly 20 years. Temperatures there fall as low as minus 63 degrees Celsius (minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit).

Conflict there began in 1984 when India occupied the heights of the 49-mile-long glacier, fearing Pakistan wanted to claim the territory. Pakistan also deployed its troops. Both armies remain entrenched despite the cease-fire.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars since partition in 1947. Two of the wars have been over Kashmir, an area both claim as their own.

Saturday’s avalanche illustrates the dangers faced by soldiers in the region. The area’s inhospitable climate and avalanches have claimed more lives than gunfire.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani expressed his shock at the incident, noting that the event "would in no way undermine the high morale of soldiers and officers."

tm/rc (AP, AFP, Reuters)