Home

Olympics

Horrifying Moment Leaves Two Skiers Dead and 21 Buried as Wall of Snow Roars Down From 14,400ft Peak

Published 02/01/2023, 8:51 AM EST

Follow Us

Horrifying scenes unfolded earlier at a Himalayan skiing resort in Kashmir. What looked like a calm and clear day, suitable for skiers to enjoy, turned into a gruesome disaster. A massive avalanche roared through the skiing route accessible from the resort, catching the people below off guard. At the time of the avalanche, many tourists were on the slopes skiing.

Rescue attempts began immediately after the avalanche subsided as officials rushed to the site. However, despite their best efforts, not everyone caught in the wall of snow survived the ordeal.

When a fun skiing session turned into death from above

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Horrified onlookers saw a massive avalanche barrel down the slope of the mountain. It gathered momentum before hitting the helpless skiers. Rescue teams immediately rushed to the spot and pulled out 21 people buried under the snow. The avalanche happened in Gulmarg, Kashmir. According to the police, the area had seen high levels of snowfall in the last few days.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Olympics stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

The avalanche originated at the peak of the 14,400 ft. tall Mount Apharwat. The mountain is part of the Pir Panjal mountain range, a popular skiing destination that attracts many international tourists. While accidents can happen during skiing, one cannot detect or avoid an avalanche.

However, all who were rescued didn’t survive the devastating avalanche. According to a Daily Mail report, police officer Amod Nagpuri explained how the rescue operation went. “During the rescue ops, 19 foreign nationals and 2 local guides have been rescued… Unfortunately, 2 foreign nationals lost their lives in the avalanche, and their dead bodies have also been recovered.”, the police revealed. The foreign nationals who lost their lives were Polish.

Devastating avalanches have claimed soldiers’ lives

Kashmir is among the most heavily militarized zones on the entire planet. Indian and Pakistani soldiers regularly patrol the LOC on their respective sides of the border. These soldiers are always at risk of meeting with a similar natural disaster, that claimed the lives of the two Polish tourists. In fact, it has happened multiple times in the past.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

In 2010, at least 17 Indian soldiers lost their lives in an avalanche in Gulmarg. The soldiers were training at the Indian army’s High-Altitude Warfare school in the region. Another devastating avalanche claimed the lives of 140 people in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Among them, 129 were Pakistani army soldiers. In 2017, three avalanches killed 20 Indian army soldiers in Kashmir.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Watch this story | Skiing legend Mikaela Shiffrin opens up on the emotional reality behind ABFTTTB on her helmet

Evidently, natural disasters neither stop for sporting enthusiasts, nor care for local borders. What do you feel about the risks of skiing on mountain slopes? Let us know in the comments.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Sagnik Bagchi

1,824Articles

One take at a time

Sagnik Bagchi is a US Sports writer for EssentiallySports. He has completed his Bachelor's and Master's in English Literature from the University of Calcutta. He has experience working as a freelance MMA writer for Sportskeeda.
Show More>

Edited by:

Anupama Ghosh