According to the BBC, the body of an Indian soldier who went missing in the Himalayas 38 years ago has been located.
While patrolling at the Siachen glacier on the India-Pakistan border in 1984, Chandrashekhar Harbola and 19 colleagues were trapped in a landslide.
Later, 15 bodies were discovered, while five persons remained unaccounted for.
Storms and landslides kill soldiers from both sides in the world’s highest battleground, Siachen.
According to a news outlet, the army team that recovered Harbola’s body also discovered another, which has yet to be identified.
Harbola’s family, who reside in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani area, said the finding would bring them peace. A comprehensive military funeral has been prepared for Harbola’s community.
It’s not the first time a soldier’s body has showed up decades later. Tukaram V Patil’s body was discovered in the glaciers by a patrolling squad in 2014, 21 years after he went missing.
Siachen has long been a matter between India and Pakistan. Talks have been place, but to no effect.
The nuclear-armed neighbours fought a short battle in 1984 to reclaim control of the Siachen glacier.
Almost four decades later, both countries’ military are still stationed in the harsh terrain.
In 2012, at least 129 Pakistani troops were killed in a landslide near the Siachen glacier. The event sparked appeals for India and Pakistan to withdraw their forces from the disputed territory, but the neighbours were unable to strike a deal.
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In 2016, at least 10 Indian troops were killed in a landslide, and four more died in similar circumstances in 2019.
