Pakistan is using bulldozers in a frantic, if thus far futile, search through some 80 feet of snow after an avalanche buried at least 135 people near a Himalayan military complex at the India border. At least 240 troops and civilians were today sifting through a slushy mix of snow, rocks, and mud in a search operation that has not rescued one of the 124 soldiers or 11 civilian contractors believed buried when the disaster struck near the Siachen Glacier, notes the AP.
"Let's hope for a miracle," says one official who asked to remain anonymous. Time is not on rescuers' side, notes Reuters: With more snow expected by mid-week, it "will make it difficult for any rescue operations to continue," says a meteorologist. The region sits at 20,000 feet above sea level and has been described as the world's highest battlefield. Pakistani PM Asif Ali Zardari is in India today meeting with PM Manmohan Singh in what looks to be a significant warming between the two countries. (More Pakistan stories.)
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