Avalanche kills four Indian soldiers near Pakistan border in Ladakh

SRINAGAR: Four Indian soldiers have been killed by an avalanche in the remote Himalayan region of Ladakh near the border with Pakistan, a defence spokesperson said Monday.

The four were hit as they patrolled a glacier at an altitude of 18,000 feet (5,500 metres) on Sunday morning, Colonel S. D. Goswami said.

"Their bodies were retrieved today," Goswami told AFP.



The area serves as the base camp for the Siachen Glacier, dubbed the world's highest battlefield, in the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan.

Avalanches and landslides are common in the area during the winter.



Last year four soldiers died when their vehicle was buried under an avalanche near Leh, the main city of the high-altitude desert area.