5 ITBP personnel killed as snow avalanche rocks Himachal

A snow avalanche killed five Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP) troopers while one trooper was missing near the Tibet border in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district on Wednesday, officials said. The avalanche, triggered with the slide of the glacier near Shipkila bordering Tibet, buried at least six ITBP personnel, the state government said in a statement.

Informed sources said the ITBP personnel were repairing the water pipeline when the calamity occurred. The disaster spot is some 350 km from the state capital. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over the incident and pledged to provide all assistance to the ITBP to ensure relief and rehabilitation work.