Avalanche kills 4 soldiers in northern Pakistani mountains

An avalanche in the northern Pakistani mountains has killed four soldiers while 22 others have been rescued after "heroic efforts" by Pakistan Army, said officials on Wednesday. A statement by Pakistan military said that 26 troops came under a huge flow of snow late on Tuesday night near the district of Astore about 155 kilometers from Skardu city in northern Pakistan. It says despite extreme weather condition, 22 soldiers were "evacuated through heroic efforts" by rescuers. The wounded soldiers were shifted to the military hospital Skardu. Another avalanche hit a team of Polish climbers in northern Nanga Parbat area injuring two of them. Avalanches and landslides are witnessed often in the mountainous region due to heavy snowfall and melting of glaciers. In 2012, an avalanche killed 129 Pakistani soldiers in the Siachen glacier, a Himalayan region, which is divided between Pakistan and neighboring India.