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130 Pakistani soldiers buried by avalanche

By Alex Rodriguez
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This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

REPORTING FROM ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A rescue effort began Saturday to save 130 Pakistani soldiers buried in an avalanche in a Himalayan region close to the Indian border, authorities said.

The soldiers were deployed on the Siachen Glacier, located on the far northern end of the disputed Kashmir region that is claimed by both India and Pakistan.

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The avalanche completely covered a battalion outpost in the region’s Gayari district at about 5:45 a.m.

Situated at an elevation of about 22,000 feet, the Siachen region is known as the world’s highest battlefield. India also has troops deployed in the region.

As of Saturday morning there was no word on casualties, Pakistan’s Geo television reported, quoting Pakistani military officials.

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Photo: Pakistani soldiers with the 20th Lancers Armored Regiment carry supplies up the 8,000-foot mountain near their outpost, Kalpani Base, in February. Credit: Anja Niedringhaus / AP Photo

World Now
Alex Rodriguez

As the Chicago Tribune’s foreign editor/global connections editor, Alex Rodriguez helps oversee the paper’s Nation/World coverage while also helping to steward the Tribune’s efforts to cover Chicago’s connections to the rest of the world — economically, demographically and culturally. Before taking on his new post in August 2013, he worked as a foreign correspondent for 11 years. From 2002 to 2009, he was the Tribune’s Moscow Bureau chief, covering the territory of what used to be the Soviet Union and focusing on the impact Vladimir Putin’s leadership had on Russia and the rest of the world. From 2009 until August 2013, he served as the Pakistan Bureau Chief for the Los Angeles Times, covering one of America’s most important — and difficult — allies in the war on terror. Before working abroad, Alex spent several years as a reporter at the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. He is a graduate of Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill.

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