Soldiers were clearing snow off a road near a military base when an avalanche in Turkey hit them. The avalanche was in the country’s southeastern province of Hakkari, the Defense Ministry said on Sunday, December 27.
The statement said two soldiers were trapped in the avalanche. One of the soldiers was rescued and taken to the state hospital but did not survive. Idris Akbiyik, Hakkari’s governor, said the soldier was seriously wounded and succumbed to his injuries despite all medical interventions.
Akbiyik said that 37 specialist personnel and gendarmerie troops were still working to rescue the other soldier on Sunday. The body of that soldier was recovered from the avalanche on Monday. Which raised the death toll from the incident to two.
The local governorship said the body of the second soldier was found at 9.30 a.m. local time (0630GMT) during a search and rescue operation. It was conducted with the support of a drone, rescue workers, commandos, and rescue dogs.
“May Allah’s grace and mercy be upon our martyr. We extend our condolences to his grieving family, the Turkish Armed Forces and our noble nation,” a statement by the governor’s office said.
