Avalanche buries 100 Pakistani soldiers

An avalanche has smashed into a Pakistani army base on a Himalayan glacier along the Indian border, burying around 100 soldiers, the military said.

Helicopters, sniffer dogs and troops were deployed to the remote Siachen Glacier to rescue those trapped, according to a military statement.

The avalanche hit a battalion headquarters in the glacier’s Gayari sector at 5.45am local time, according to a security official.

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

Both countries station hundreds of troops there, who brave viciously cold temperatures, altitude sickness and high winds for months at a time.

Troops have been deployed at elevations of up to 6,700 metres and have skirmished intermittently since 1984. The glacier is known as the world’s highest battlefield.

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