At least 16 army personnel were killed in Dawar in Bandipora district. Another three were killed in the avalanche in Sonamarg area of Ganderbal district, army officials said. Both the areas are in north Kashmir.
"We have recovered nine bodies in Dawar while seven soldiers are still feared to be under the debris," according to Lieutenant Colonel JS Brar, spokesman of the army's Srinagar-based 15th Corps.
"Earlier today, 13 soldiers were rescued from the avalanche debris in Dawar village of Gurez sub-division where an overnight avalanche struck the brigade headquarters. Dawar is in Gurez subdivision, 109 km Srinagar.
"Three soldiers of the territorial army, including a junior commissioned officer, were killed in another overnight avalanche in Sonamarg area of Ganderbal," Colonel Brar added.
Ganderbal is located 87 km from Srinagar.
Srinagar: Nine people trapped in an avalanche on Thursday in north Kashmir's Sonamarg hill station were rescued in a joint rescue operation on Friday by the army, the air force and the civilian administration.
A statement issued on Friday morning by the provincial disaster management authority said: "Nine people trapped in an avalanche under the Shitkari Bridge in Sonamarg area were rescued today (Friday) in a joint rescue operation by the army, the air force, local police and the civil administration, with the help of locals."
"They had got trapped in the avalanche on 23rd Feb. The nine persons were airlifted in choppers of the army and the air force, using rope ladders as landing in the area was not possible," it said.
