Srinagar: Bodies of four of the five soldiers trapped under snow at two places along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir have been recovered while search for the 5th missing soldier is going on.

Defence spokesman in Srinagar, Colonel Rajesh Kalia told New Indian Express that body of the third soldier, who was missing after being caught under snow avalanche at Gurez sector in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Tuesday last, was recovered today by Avalanche Rescue Teams (ARTs) of the arm

The deceased was identified as Sepoy Moorthy N.

The ARTs had yesterday recovered bodies of two more missing soldiers Lance Naik Marigendra Nath Pramanik and Sepoy Shiv Singh in Gurez.

Kalia said Moorthy, Pramanik and Singh were part of an operational team, which was serving in the formidable heights along the LoC in Gurez and got swept away during a snow slide along on Tuesday last.

Pramanik, 32, had joined Army in 2003 and hailed from village Kumar Chak in Purva Midnapur of West Bengal. He is survived by parents, wife and two children.

Sepoy Shiv Singh, 27, had joined army in 2009. He hailed from village Gullarwala Karsouli in Solan, Himachal Pradesh and is survived by mother.

Kalia said concerted efforts of specially equipped army’s ARTs continued the search operation despite the inhospitable terrain, inclement weather conditions and poor visibility after soldiers were trapped under heap of snow.

On December 17, army’s search party had recovered body of one of the two soldiers trapped under snow along the LoC in Naugam sector in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

The deceased soldier was identified as 19-year-old Sepoy Koushal Singh R/o Samba, J&K. He had joined the army last year.

Sources said army’s ARTs and experts of Army’s High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) are engaged in the search operation at Naugam sector to rescue or retrieve the body of the 5th missing soldier.

On Tuesday last, sepoy Koushal and another soldier had got swept away after coming under snow avalanche in Gurez.

Sources said specially trained sniffer dogs too have been pressed into the service to help the army teams in search and rescue operation.

The defence spokesman said army’s ARTs were searching for the fifth missing soldier.

“The search and rescue operation was going on,” he said.

The upper reaches of the Valley, especially the areas close to LoC, experienced heavy snowfall last week.

In January this year, 20 soldiers including four officers were killed in snow avalanches in Gurez, Machil and Uri sectors, close to the LoC in north Kashmir.