A soldier, rescued nearly a week after being buried in 25ft of snow by a deadly Himalayan avalanche, died in hospital yesterday of his injuries, the army said.
Hanumanthappa Koppad was rescued late on Monday after spending six days trapped on Siachen glacier, the world’s highest battlefield, after a massive block of ice fell onto his army post.
Troops discovered Koppad, with a faint pulse and suffering from severe injuries, after digging through the snow on the glacier.
His rescue from the disaster, which occurred 19,600ft high in the Himalayas and killed nine of his colleagues, has gripped India, with schoolchildren, priests and Bollywood stars praying for his recovery.
But doctors warned on Wednesday his condition was worsening, saying he was comatosed and his organs were failing to function.
“Doctors declared him dead around 11.45am,” army spokesman Rohan Anand said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had visited Koppad at Delhi’s Army Hospital, said his death “leaves us sad & devastated”.
“RIP Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. The soldier in you remains immortal. Proud that martyrs like you served India,” Modi tweeted.
Koppad’s body was flown to Hubbali in Karnataka by an Indian Air Force plane, accompanied by his grieving family. From there, the body will be taken to his village Betadur in Dharwad for the last rites today.
Koppad belonged to the 19th battalion of Madras Regiment, which he joined 13 years ago.
The soldier was serving in the high altitude glacier from August 2015 and was chosen for deployment on one of the highest posts.
Koppad has earlier served in difficult and challenging areas for 10 of the 13 years of his military service, the army said.
His postings had earlier taken him to Jammu and Kashmir (2003-06 and 2008-10) and the northeast. Meanwhile, a pall of gloom descended on the village, about 430km from Bengaluru.
Police made elaborate arrangements to regulate crowds as people in large numbers gathered at his house.
An estimated 8,000 soldiers have died on the glacier since 1984, almost all of them from avalanches, landslides, frostbite, altitude sickness or heart failure rather than combat.
India and Pakistan are each estimated to deploy around 3,000 troops on the glacier, where winter temperatures plummet to minus 70 degrees Celsius.
The neighbours fought a fierce battle over Siachen in 1987, though guns on the glacier have largely fallen silent since a peace process began in 2004.

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