Two personnel of the Indian Army were killed in an avalanche in Siachen glacier in Ladakh early on Saturday, PTI reported. The avalanche hit an Army patrol unit at an altitude of about 5,500 metres in the southern part of the glacier, defence spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.

An avalanche rescue team managed to locate and pull out all members of the patrol. Army helicopters were also pressed into service to evacuate the personnel, Kalia said.

On November 18, four Indian Army personnel and two civilians were killed in an avalanche in the northern part of the Siachen Glacier.

The Siachen Glacier is at an altitude of 5,400 metres above sea level. It is part of the eastern Karakoram Range in the Himalayas where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends.

The Indian Army has deployed a brigade in the area, where some posts are located above 6,400 metres. At such an altitude, breathing normally is difficult and the places are prone to avalanches.

The Army has been controlling the Siachen glacier since April 13, 1984, when Operation Meghdoot was launched to capture the glacier by defeating Pakistan.