5 Pakistan Army personnel missing after avalanche at Siachen

The Pakistan Army has started a rescue operation in the area with the help of locals, while heavy machinery has also been sent to speed up the process, the Express Tribune reported.

So far, the army has still not confirmed any casualties.

Siachen, with heights of over 18,000 ft, has seen several deaths due to natural disasters. Avalanches and landslides are common at the glacier during the winter and temperatures can drop to as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius.

At least 135 people, including 124 Pakistani soldiers and 11 civilians, were killed in 2012 in an avalanche in Gayari sector near Siachen.

Hundreds of troops have died on the glacier since 1984, mostly from avalanches, landslides, frostbite, altitude sickness or heart failure rather than actual combat.