Five Indian Army soldiers, who were rescued from an avalanche site in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, succumbed to their injuries in Srinagar on Monday, ANI reported. The soldiers were evacuated from Machil during a major operation on January 28, after a snow track caved in.

Extreme weather conditions have led to avalanches across the region. Before these deaths, around 20 people have died in avalanches in the state over the past week, including 14 soldiers. There have been at least six major avalanches in the state in the past week, including one in the Gurez sector.

People have been told not to go to avalanche-prone areas, and the Deputy Commissioners of Kashmir division, which includes Leh and Kargil, were instructed to take precautionary measures in their districts.