Feb 23, 2012; 10:51 AM ET
Aftermath of a snowslide in Ramwari, northeast of Srinagar, Kashmir, on Feb. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
Two "massive" avalanches have killed at least 16 Indian soldiers in Kashmir, the Times of India said on Thursday. Another nine were injured with three more still missing.
The slides Wednesday struck two army posts in the mountains bordering the Kashmir Valley. Heavy snow was falling at the time, the Times said.
The first slide plowed into an installation at Dawar, north of Srinagar, killing 13. Another 13 people were rescued. The avalanche damaged 25 vehicles and 17 barracks.
"This particular area is not normally avalanche prone," a defense spokesman was quoted as saying.
The second avalanche slammed an army post at Sonamarg, northeast of Srinagar, killing three people and injuring another six.
Recent storms have left normal to above normal snowfall along the western Himalayas, weather data accessed by AccuWeather.com indicate.
Cold rain Wednesday was falling steadily on the floor of the Kashmir Valley at Srinagar, weather data also showed, implying that nearby slopes were picking up substantial new snowfall.
Winter storms normally give the western Himalayas substantial falls of snow each year, so snowslides are a seasonal threat in higher inhabited areas of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan
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