Srinagar, January 3: A soldier of the Indian Army died and another was injured after an avalanche hit the forward area of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Thursday. The avalanche hit the post of Rashtriya Rifles in Sawjian sector around 4 am along the Line of Control (LoC). The deceased jawan was identified as Lance Naik Sapan Mehra.

"Two soldiers were trapped under the avalanche. A rescue operation was immediately started and both were taken out of the debris. One of the soldiers identified as Lance Naik Sapan Mehra has succumbed to his injuries while the other has been shifted to a hospital for treatment," an official told news agency IANS.

The other soldier was rescued alive. He was immediately shifted to a nearby Army health facility. The incident comes a day after authorities issued an avalanche warning in several districts of Kashmir and the Ladakh region in view of fresh snowfall in the higher reaches.

"As per the communication of the divisional commissioner of Kashmir, there is a danger of avalanches from 5 pm on January 2 to 5 pm on January 3 in avalanche-prone areas of Bandipora, Baramulla, Anantnag, Kulgam, Budgam, Kupwara, Ganderbal, Leh and Kargil districts of Kashmir Division," an official spokesman told PTI.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2019 03:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).