Army officer killed, 3 soldiers injured in fire accident in Siachen Glacier

Sources said a fire broke out in several tents of the Indian Army on the Siachen Glacier at around 3.30 am on Wednesday in which one officer died and at least three soldiers were injured.

Srinagar (J&K): An Indian Army officer was killed while three other soldiers were injured on Wednesday after their tents caught fire in Union Territory Ladakh's Siachen Glacier, Army sources said.

"A fire broke out in several tents of the Indian Army on the Siachen Glacier at around 3.30 am today. An officer died in this incident, while six jawans were injured. Of these, three have been referred to Chandigarh for treatment," sources said. "It appears that this incident happened due to a short circuit in the ammunition bunker," they added.

Giving details about the incident, Defence PRO, Leh Lt Col PS Sidhu said: “In a fire accident in the Siachen glacier today, one officer lost his life while three soldiers were injured. The injured have been safely evacuated from there to hospital." He said that the Regiment Medical Officer Capt Anshuman Singh succumbed to serious burn injuries during the unfortunate incident. While three other personnel suffered smoke inhalation and second-degree burns, the official added.

"They have been safely air evacuated for further treatment. The condition of the injured personnel is reported to be stable", the Defence PRO said. Pertinently, in 2011, two lieutenant rank officers were killed and four injured in a similar incident at Siachen Glacier. Interestingly, Siachen Glacier, one of the biggest glaciers in the world with a length of 71 kilometres, is situated along the India - Pakistan border in Ladakh UT.

More soldiers have been killed by the hostile environment and avalanche-prone places than by firefights in the glacier. The Army can only station one soldier in Siachen for a period of three months because of the tough weather. In the past 37 years, over 800 soldiers have died at Siachen as a result of harsh terrain, extreme weather, enemy fire, and other factors, according to a report by a defence watchdog.