Hope fades for 138 missing in Pakistan avalanche

Hope fades for 138 missing in Pakistan avalanche

2012-04-11 01:44:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- Hundreds of rescue workers continued to search Tuesday for more than 130 people who were buried by a large avalanche in a mountainous area of northern Pakistan late last week, officials said. There is little hope of finding survivors.

The avalanche occurred near the Pakistani town of Skardu on early Saturday morning at the 5,750-meters (18,870 feet) high Siachen Glacier in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya Mountains, just east of the Line of Control between India and Pakistan. The glacier is known as the world's highest battlefield.

Saturday's avalanche covered an area of approximately one square kilometer (0.38 square mile), burying the headquarters of the 6 Northern Light Infantry Battalion, which has been situated at the same place for about 20 years. It is the first time that the military camp has been hit by a major avalanche.

According to a new list released by the Pakistani military on Tuesday, a total of 138 officers, junior commissioned officers and soldiers of the 6 Northern Light Infantry Battalion remain missing. More than 450 people continued a search-and-rescue operation on Tuesday with the help of heavy machinery, despite the bad weather.

"Five points have been identified on the site where rescue work is in progress. Two points are being dug with equipment while three points are being dug manually," a military spokesperson said, adding that rescue workers are using life detection equipment and thermal imaging cameras to find survivors.

As of late Tuesday, no survivors or bodies have been found.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-04-11