Fer Chrissakes

Somebody should be raking it in consulting for the Indian and Pakistani militaries. The soldiers up there must be friggin' terrified every time there is a big storm.

Jammu-Kashmir Avalanche Center?

Death toll in result of avalanche incident in AJK crosses 20; 12 bodies recovered

ATH MUQAM (AJK), (SANA): Over 20 people including 11 soldiers and 10 civilians were killed in avalanche in Neelam Valley Friday; meanwhile the bodies of the 12 deceased persons have been recovered.

The avalanche struck in the mountainous Neelam Valley in the area of Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) on Saturday night.

The soldiers were searching for colleagues hit by an earlier avalanche when they were struck by a second fall.

The rescue services are hampered due to non-availability of mobile land line phone and electricity in the area.

The local administration showed the traditional negligence and tried to conceal the information regarding killings of civilians and the officials said the hunt for the missing was being hampered by bad weather and the region’s harsh terrain.

The party of rescuers had discovered two bodies when the second avalanche struck in Dana Tajian, 80 miles (130km) from Muzaffarabad.

A military rescue operation swung into action after heavy snows on Friday triggered two landslides at a remote outpost in the Keel Sector of Pakistani-administered Kashmir near the de facto border with India.
“Three bodies of soldiers were recovered on Friday. The dead bodies of five soldiers including a captain and four civilians were recovered on Saturday,” said a statement by the military.

Local administration officials said they were searching for more dead bodies as nine people from the rescue party were still missing.
“Eight soldiers and 10 civilians went to rescue the soldiers at the post, all of the rescuers were buried in the second landslide, so we are searching for the rest of the bodies,” local administration official Raja Saqib Muneer told the media. The bodies of Muhammad Anwar, Sarwar, Muhammad Khurshid, Muhammad Afzal, Gul Hussain, Munir Ahmed have been recovered while the search of others is continued.

Earlier, Friday’s avalanche struck close to the side of the Line of Control.

It is worth mentioning here that two wars have been fought between Pakistan and India over the Himalayan area.

The two sides have thousands of troops stationed in the region, where a ceasefire has been in place since 2003.

Officials said that heavy snow may have triggered the avalanches, which are common in the area.

In April, 140 Pakistani soldiers and civilians were buried when a huge wall of snow crashed into the remote Siachen Glacier base high in the mountains. All have since been declared dead, although some of the bodies still remain buried in the snow.

In February, at least 16 Indian soldiers on duty in the mountains of Kashmir were killed when two avalanches swept through their army camps.

population control. necessary. there are worse ways to die.

let it lay......:)

rog

not a bad position if you want to get over there.


KASHMIR STATE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM

Position: Position: Snow Safety Internship
KASHMIR STATE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM

Position: Snow Safety Internship

Gulmarg ski area is located in the Pir Pinjal range of the Himalaya within western Kashmir. A two stage gondola to 4000m serves primarily western tourists for skiing/snowboarding.

An American forecaster manages the Kashmiri ski patrol and regional avalanche center based in Gulmarg.

The snow safety intern will be expected to lead Kashmiri ski patrollers, training them in avalanche control work, adhering to the current snow safety plan and perform the necessary groundwork to make good snow instability evaluations. The internship period begins January 1 and ends March 15. In addition to a background in ski patrolling, candidates should posses a minimum:
• Level 2 American and/or level 1 Canadian/NZ avalanche certification.
• Expert skiing and touring skills along with exceptional communication abilities.

**Please note** Candidates must demonstrate depth in leading avalanche control routes/programs and explosives use/safe handling.

Candidates with accredited avalanche educator skills will have paid opportunities teaching courses through the Gulmarg avalanche center.

In addition to salary, remuneration will include lodge and boarding at a slope-side hotel with gondola access. Travel expenses, insurance and applicable travel visas are the responsibility of the intern.

Please visit www.gulmargavalanche.org for more information.

Contact: brian@gulmargavalanche.org

Close Date: 2012-12-15

"not a bad position"?