Since Sunday afternoon, family members, villagers and relatives are praying for the safety of Arun Katal and six other soldiers of the Indian Army who have gone missing after being hit by an avalanche while they were on a patrol in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

"We all are praying for the safety of all soldiers including Arun Katal who were hit by the avalanche in Arunachal. We are still hopeful that they will be rescued safely as early as possible," Praladh Singh, father of Arun Katal, one of the missing soldiers, said.

family member of missing soldier
social media

Arun Katal, a native of village Jandore village of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district is among seven soldiers of the Indian Army who have been missing since Sunday.

"On Sunday afternoon, I received a phone call from Arun's unit that he along with other soldiers, who were part of a patrol party, are missing", Praladh Singh said, adding, "We are in constant touch with Arun's unit."

Missing soldier
social media

After getting information about missing Arun Katal, natives of Jandore and adjoining villages rushed to his residence. Locals and relatives also joined family members to pray for the safety of the missing Army personnel.

INDIA-KASHMIR-WEATHER-AVALANCHE
Local residents along with security personnel search the bodies of 10 missing policemen after a snow avalanche hit a police post at Qazigund Jawahar Tunnel in Kulgam district, some 90 km from Srinagar on February 8, 2019. - Three policemen were rescued on February 8 while five other bodies were recovered from an avalanche that buried 10 people in Indian-administered Kashmir following two days of heavy snowfall, police said.STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Joined Army in 2015

Arun Katal has joined the Indian Army in 2015. After serving at different parts of the party, Arun is presently deployed at Arunachal Pradesh. He is serving in the 19 JAK Rifle which is deployed in the high-altitude area of the Kameng sector in Arunachal Pradesh. 

Seven Army personnel missing

According to reports, seven Indian Army personnel have gone missing after being hit by an avalanche while they were on a patrol in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Quoting police sources, a local newspaper of Arunachal Pradesh reported that the avalanche reportedly struck when the personnel of the 19 JAK Rifles were on a routine foot patrol at Kholong Point, four kilometres from Subhash Hut, on Sunday.

Avalanches
[Representational Image]REUTERS/Indian Army/Handout

According to the defence spokesperson, the rescue operation has been launched to trace out the missing army personnel in the avalanche-prone area. Specialized teams have been airlifted to assist in the rescue operation. The area has been witnessing inclement weather with heavy snowfall for the last few days, the defence spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pema Khandu prayed for the safety of the personnel. "Praying for the safety of Army personnel hit by the avalanche in Arunachal, and hope that they be rescued safely as early as possible," he tweeted.

"The Indian Army has always stood by us. We earnestly pray that no harm comes to our brave jawans," Khandu said.

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