Three Indian army soldiers were killed after an avalanche hit their base camp at the Siachen glacier, the world’s highest battlefield, in the cold desert of the Ladakh Union Territory on Tuesday.

Officials said a massive avalanche struck the Siachen Glacier on Tuesday, hitting an Indian Army base where personnel of the Mahar Regiment were stationed.

The soldiers were buried under snow, prompting the Army to immediately launch a search and rescue operation. Sources said rescue teams have so far recovered the bodies of three soldiers.

A captain was rescued alive after being trapped under snow for nearly five hours, officials said. He has been shifted to a military hospital, where doctors are providing treatment.

Avalanches occur frequently in the Siachen glacier, where the temperature falls to minus 60 degrees Celsius.

In 2021, two army men were killed after being trapped in avalanche in Siachen

Four soldiers and two porters were killed in an avalanche in the Siachen glacier in 2019.