On this day four years ago: Gayari avalanche strikes Pakistan Army base in Siachen

People take to Twitter to remember the courage and sacrifices of Pakistan's armed forces

KARACHI: Four years ago on this day, 135 people, including 124 soldiers and 11 civilians, were killed when an avalanche hit the military headquarters in Gayari sector, Siachen.

The brave soldiers guarding the border region at an altitude of about 16,000 feet were silenced and buried under 70 feet of snow on the morning of April 7, 2012, making it the worst avalanche that Pakistani military has ever experienced.

Today, on the fourth anniversary of the incident, people took to Twitter to remember the courage and sacrifices of Pakistan's armed forces with the hashtag, #RememberingGyariMartyrs, trending across the country.



https://twitter.com/ashiazan/status/718014126845509634

4 years just passed in a spur of moment But u all are still in our hearts. U r the brave sons of our soil #love u
#RememberingGyariMartyrs

— Hamza Chattha (@HamzaAChattha) April 7, 2016

#RememberingGyariMartyrs The nation will never forget the valiant sons who sacrificed their lives for defending the motherland

— Pakistan Politics (@politik_PAK) April 7, 2016

#RememberingGyariMartyrs We salute those brave Jawans who fought every weather and every trouble to lead Pakistan pic.twitter.com/rJvFqN0AWj

— Dr Farhan K Virk (@FarhanKVirk) April 7, 2016

The incident prompted a rescue mission whereby troops with sniffer dogs, aided by helicopters, frantically tried to find signs of life in the deep snow after the avalanche engulfed the camp.

PHOTO: REUTERS



Doctors and paramedics also rushed to the high-altitude militarised region, where temperatures usually plummet to minus 70 degrees Celsius.

PHOTO: REUTERS

After more than a year long search, former Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani announced on October 3, 2013 that 133 bodies had been recovered. Kayani also said the entire nation stands by the armed forces of Pakistan in performing their sacred obligation of defence of the country.

He also thanked the nation for its prayers and complete support to the Pakistan Army.

A list of the martyrs buried under the snow can be found here.