Rajnath Singh says he was deeply pained by the death of soldiers and porters in the avalanche. (File)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today condoled the death of soldiers and porters who died in an avalanche in the Siachen Glacier on Monday, and said that he was deeply pained by the incident.
"Deeply pained by the demise of soldiers and porters due to avalanche in Siachen. I salute their courage and service to the nation. My heartfelt condolences to their families," Mr Singh tweeted.
Six people, including four soldiers and two porters, were killed in the avalanche on Monday.
The avalanche had hit army positions in the Siachen glacier after which eight personnel got stuck under the snow. The altitudes in the northern glacier are around 18,000 feet and above.
The minister also spoke to Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Bipin Rawat and was appraised about the situation in Siachen. "Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat regarding the tragedy in Siachen. CoAS has apprised RM of the ground situation in Siachen," the office of the Defence Ministry tweeted.
The army personnel hit by the avalanche were part of a patrolling party consisting of eight people and were in the northern glacier when the incident happened.
Sources said that the patrolling party, including porters, were evacuating another person who had fallen sick at his post.
The Siachen Glacier at the height of around 20,000 ft in the Karakoram range is known as the highest militarised zone in the world where the soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds. Avalanches and landslides are common at the glacier during the winters and temperatures can drop to as low as minus 60 degree Celsius.