At least 17 people, including nine army personnel and eight porters who were carrying food items for other army men staying in the upper hills, were feared killed on Wednesday afternoon. According to a report avalanches swept away two counter insurgency posts located in Uri and Machil sectors on the Line of Control.

As many as 15 people, including a JCO, six army personnel and eight civilian porters, were killed at Rajput Tekri in Uri when the army post got buried under snow all of a sudden. Later, the army confirmed the death of two jawans in Machil on Wednesday.

The two jawans have been identified as V Jacob and Sudeesh of 7 Garwal Regiment, both residents of Kerala.

Army spokesman Col Manjinder Singh said:

Fifteen armymen, including an officer, and eight laborers went missing soon after an avalanche hit our counter-insurgency post in Uri. A massive search and rescue operation is on way to trace the missing persons.

The upper hills of Jammu and Kashmir have been witnessing heavy snowfall and rains for the last three days. Some more bunkers have reportedly gone under snow on Wednesday.

The army officials have announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 to the relatives of each of the eight porters. The compensation would be paid even the missing soldiers survive the avalanche but their chances of survival were bleak.

Mainstream media was busy in showing reports and special programs on controversy raised in Sydney Test played between India and Australia. Controversy rose due to bad umpiring and a ban on Harbhajan Singh for allegedly using racial remarks against Andrew Symonds. Several media houses linked the incident with India’s pride. They, it seems, missed or ignored the armymen’s story that was more linked with country’s pride than the loss in Sydney because the soldiers were more important for common Indians than anybody else.