J&K: Soldier dies at Siachen Glacier

Srinagar, April 20 (IANS) A soldier was killed on Sunday at Ladakh’s Siachen Glacier while performing duty at the world’s highest battlefield.

The Defence Ministry said that Naib Subedar Baldev Singh made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty at the Siachen Glacier.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Army’s Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps paid rich tribute to the fallen soldier.

“GOC, Fire and Fury Corps and All Ranks salute Naib Subedar Baldev Singh, who made supreme sacrifice in the line of duty in #SiachenGlacier on 20 Apr 2025 and offer deep condolences to the bereaved family in this hour of grief,” Fire and Fury Corps said in a post on X.

The Army, however, did not reveal the exact circumstances leading to the death of the soldier.

Siachen Glacier is located in the Eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan ends.

The glacier is 76 km long and it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and the second longest in the World’s non-polar areas.

It falls from an altitude of 5,753 m (18,875 ft) above sea level at its head at Indira Col on the India–China border down to 3,620 m (11,875 ft) at its terminus.

The entire Siachen Glacier, with all major passes, has been under the administration of India as part of Ladakh since 1984.

Pakistan controls the region west of Saltoro Ridge, lying west of the glacier, with Pakistani posts located 1 km below more than 100 Indian posts on the ridge.

In 1984, India launched Operation ‘Meghdoot’, a military operation that gave India control over all of the Siachen Glacier, including its tributaries.

Between 1984 and 1999, frequent skirmishes took place between India and Pakistan. Indian army under Operation Meghdoot pre-empted Pakistan’s Operation ‘Ababeel’ by just one day to occupy most of the dominating heights on Saltoro Ridge to the west of Siachen Glacier.

However, more soldiers have died from the harsh weather conditions in the region than from combat.

Pakistan lost 353 soldiers in various operations recorded between 2003 and 2010 near Siachen, including 140 Pakistanis killed in the 2012 Gayari Sector avalanche.

Between January 2012 and July 2015, 33 Indian soldiers died due to adverse weather.

--IANS

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