Avalanche on Himalayan glacier buries 130 Pakistani soldiers

ISLAMABAD (AP) — An avalanche smashed into a Pakistani army base on a Himalayan glacier close to India on Saturday, burying around 130 soldiers, a security official said.

Rescue efforts were under way on the remote and frigid Siachen Glacier, where thousands of Pakistani and Indian troops are based, the security official said. He spoke anonymously because the military had yet to release a formal statement.

He said the snow hit a battalion headquarters in Gayari on the glacier at 5.45 am.

Siachen is on the northern tip of the divided Kashmir region claimed by both India and Pakistan.

The two neighboring countries have deployed troops at elevations of up to 6,700 meters (22,000 feet) there. There have been intermittent skirmishes since 1984, and the region is known as the world’s highest battlefield.

More soldiers have died from the harsh weather there than combat.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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