Buried under snow for months, bodies of 3 army personnel recovered in Ladakh
New Delhi/Leh, Jul 10: The bodies of three of the four army personnel, who died after their mountaineering expedition team was struck by an avalanche last October at a height of over 18,300 feet in Ladakh, have been recovered amid challenging conditions, according to defence sources.
The bodies of Havildar Rohit Kumar, Havildar Thakur Bahadur Ale and Naik Gautam Rajbanshi were trapped deep within a crevasse and lay buried under thick layers of ice and large volumes of snow for the past nearly nine months.
A defence source said their bodies were recovered over the last one week.
The body of Lance Naik Stanzin Targais was recovered soon after the incident.
In July 2023, a 38-member expedition team from the Gulmarg-based High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), an elite training institution under the Army, had set out to conquer Mt. Kun in the Union Territory of Ladakh. The expedition started on October 1 and the team hoped to conquer the peak by October 13, sources in the defence establishment said.
"The treacherous terrain and unpredictable weather in this glaciated region posed immense challenges. While fixing ropes on a snow wall, the team was struck by a sudden avalanche on October 8 at a height of over 18,300 ft, between Camp 2 and Camp 3 on the Fariabad Glacier. Four members were caught in the deadly slide," the source said.
The expedition team made all endeavours to rescue those who fell in the crevasse and got buried under large volume of snow and "laid down their lives in true spirit of adventure and quest", the sources said.
But, in the Army's spirit of 'Leaving No Man Behind', a team of mountaineers of the HAWS then undertook a heroic mission to recover the mortal remains of their fallen comrades, they said.
"Operation RTG (Rohit, Thakur, Gautam)" that sought to retrieve their bodies was launched on June 18.
The mission was named in honour of the missing soldiers and the rescue expedition consisted of 88 expert mountaineers.
The sources said a road head camp was established about 40 km short of Khumbathang for deposition of specialised mountaineering and rescue equipment, special clothing, survival kits, tents and meals.
Two helicopters were also placed on standby to ferry the mortal remains of the bravehearts and for evacuation of the rescue team, if needed.
They said a base camp was established at a distance of around 13 km from the road head at a height of about 14,790 feet. Maj Gen Bruce Fernandez, Commandant HAWS, stationed himself at the base camp, overseeing the rescue efforts.
Brig S S Shekhawat, the Deputy Commandant of HAWS, personally led the search operation, emphasising the mission's importance.
"The incident site was approximately 3 km from the base camp. The rescue team faced formidable challenges at an altitude of 18,300 feet. They established a forward base camp on June 25, with two intermediate camps for acclimatisation. Equipped with satellite phones, special tents, and advanced tools, and supported by dedicated helicopters stationed 20 km away, every precaution was taken to ensure the safety of the search party," a defence source said.
The bodies of the three personnel have been handed over to their families with "full military honours", bringing closure for the loved ones, who had waited to bid the final farewell to them, they said.
Sharing details about the recovery of the bodies, the sources said the first significant breakthrough during the operation came when the mortal remains of Havildar Kumar (Dogra Scouts) were found at about 30 feet of snow and ice in the crevasse on July 4. The mortal remains were transported to Kumbathang by helicopter.
With renewed resolve, the team, braving challenges posed by extremities of cold and terrain, went 10 feet deeper in the crevasse, where mortal remains of Havildar Ale (Gorkha Rifles) were recovered on July 7. Search continued for the mortal remains of Naik Rajbanshi (Assam Regiment), as the team's resolve to bring their comrades home remained unwavering, they said.
The mission's aim was finally accomplished on July 8, as the bodies of the three soldiers were recovered and no team member was left behind, the sources added.
Brig Shekhawat is no stranger to formidable challenges, he has climbed Mt. Everest thrice and been awarded the Kirti Chakra for one of the toughest operations conducted by the Indian Army, the sources said.
However, he described 'Operation RTG' as the most demanding mission of his life.
"Dug for nine days straight, 10-12 hours every day at 18,700 feet," he was quoted as saying by a defence source.
"Tons of snow and ice was removed. The grueling effort, both physically and mentally, tested the resilience of the entire team," Shekhawat said.
'Leave No Man Behind'
— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) July 10, 2024
In an extraordinary display of courage & camaraderie, the mountaineers of the High Altitude Warfare School #HAWS undertook a heroic mission to recover the mortal remains of their fallen comrades, the three Havildar Instructors, who were caught in the deadly… pic.twitter.com/G6phXaSlqM
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Rupee hits record low of 96.14/USD, settles at fresh closing low of 95.86/USD
Mumbai (PTI): The Indian rupee crashed below the 96/USD mark on Friday before closing at an all-time low of 95.86 (provisional) against the US dollar as elevated crude oil prices and inflation concerns added to the downside pressure on the rupee.
Rupee has registered over 6 per cent losses so far this year, and in the past six trading sessions, it has depreciated nearly 2 per cent as Iran war risk escalation pushed crude oil prices higher. The dollar index moved northwards after strong US retail sales and stable labour market data reduced expectations of aggressive Federal Reserve rate cuts.
Forex traders said global uncertainties, relatively high valuations, and the lack of AI-led investment opportunities have weighed on capital flows.
Moreover, weak net FDI inflows are likely to exert pressure on the balance of payments, while rising crude oil prices stoke inflation worries.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 95.86, then slumped to a record low of 96.14 in intraday trade, registering a fall of 50 paise from its previous close.
The USD/INR pair finally settled at 95.86 (provisional) against the US dollar, registering a fall of 22 paise from its previous close, helped by likely RBI intervention.
On Thursday, the rupee weakened to a fresh record low of 95.96 before closing with a marginal gain of 2 paise at 95.64 against the US dollar.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 99.15, higher by 0.34 per cent.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading up 3.14 per cent at USD 109.04 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex fell 160.73 points to settle at 75,237.99, while Nifty declined 46.10 points to 23,643.50.
Foreign Institutional Investors turned net buyers, purchasing equities worth Rs 187.46 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, the country's exports in April rose by 13.78 per cent to USD 43.56 billion despite global challenges, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Friday.
Imports grew 10 per cent year-on-year to USD 71.94 billion in April. The trade deficit during the month stood at USD 28.38 billion.
"We expect the rupee to trade with a negative bias on elevated crude oil prices and inflation concerns. Strong dollar and FII outflows may also weigh on the rupee. However, any intervention by the RBI and hiking of import duty on gold and silver may support the rupee at lower levels. USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of 95.60 to 96.20," said Anuj Choudhary, Research analyst at Mirae Asset ShareKhan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump on Friday hailed their talks as "historic" and "landmark", as the American leader wrapped up his three-day visit on a high note, but no deals on any contentious issues were announced.
Both Presidents, who held several rounds of talks covering a range of global issues, including the Iran war and bilateral trade frictions, concluded their discussions with a private meeting at Zhongnanhai, the well-guarded compound in Beijing where top leaders reside.
