Soldier found alive under Siachen glacier, flown to Delhi hospital

Jammu

"It was a miraculous rescue, all efforts are being made to evacute Lance Naik Hanaman Thappa to the RR hospital in the morning," Lt Gen D S Hooda, Northern Army Commander, told PTI.

He said, "Five bodies have been recovered so far and four bodies have been identified. All other soldiers are regrettably no more with us."

He hoped that another miracle continues with Thappa, who hails form Karnataka.

A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and nine other ranks of Madras Regiment were buried after their post was hit by the avalanche at the altitude of 19,600 feet close to the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan where the tempreature was minus 45 degrees Celsius.

Lance Naik Hanaman Thappa, who was miraculously found alive after remaining buried in snow for six days, was today evacuated to the army's base camp at the Siachin 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.

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. "Five bodies have been recovered so far and four bodies have been identified," he has said.