Kameng Avalanche: Specialised teams have been airlifted to assist in rescue operations

Seven Indian Army personnel have been hit by an avalanche in the high altitude area of Kameng sector in Arunachal Pradesh, official army sources said today.

Search and rescue operations are underway to find them, they said.

The seven officials, who were struck by the avalanche on Sunday, are part of a patrol team, Lt Col Harsh Wardhan Pande, Public Relations Officer of Ministry of Defence in Tezpur, said.

Specialised teams have been airlifted to assist in rescue operations, he said.

"The area has been witnessing inclement weather with heavy snowfall since the last few days," he added.

Several high altitude areas of the frontier state have been witnessing heavy snowfall this month. Daria Hill near Itanagar received snowfall after 34 years and Rupa town in Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district witnessed snowfall after two decades, according to news agency PTI.