Soldier killed in Nowgam avalanche cremated, 2 other bodies recovered
The family and relatives of sepoy Koushal Singh, one of the five soldiers who went missing after avalanches struck their posts along the Line of Control (LoC) on December 11, and whose body was found later, bid adieu to him on Monday as he was cremated with military honours at a Samba village.
The cremation took place on the banks of the Devika river at Uttervehni in Samba district.
The 19-year-old soldier is survived by his father ex-serviceman Chuni Singh, mother Makhni Devi, elder brother Vishal Singh and younger sister Sheetal. The young soldier, who hailed from Badala Dhioniya village in Sarna Panchayat of Samba district, had joined the army one-and-a-half years ago.
“His body had reached his native village on Sunday evening and since then a pall of gloom had descended on the village. His parents and other family members are in a state of shock,” said Balkar Singh, a villager.
After buglers sounded the last post and men in olive gave a 21-gun-salute to the young soldier, his elder brother Vishal Singh lit the pyre. A swarm of villagers had gathered at the Devika river to bid farewell to the soldier.
Later, station commander of the 168 Samba Brigade Colonel Sanjay Yadav, while talking to the mediapersons,said, “On the fateful night a patrol of the soldiers was moving from one post to another when an avalanche struck along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Nowgam sector of Kupwara district and Gurez sector of Bandipora on December 11. Sepoy Koushal Singh and another soldier were swept down the slopes, heavy snowfall and inclement weather made the rescue task a difficult. ”
BODIES OF TWO OTHER SOLDIERS RECOVERED
Search and rescue teams on Monday recovered the bodies of two other soldiers, who went missing, from a forward post in Kanzalwan sub-sector of Gurez of Bandipora district after heavy snowfall and avalanche , defence sources said. Bodies of the soldiers were recovered in the Gurez sector, the sources said.
The search for the two other missing soldiers, one each in the Gurez and Naugam sectors, is still on, the sources said.