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Indian Army Officer Major Nisheet Dogra lost his life in a snow blizzard in North Sikkim. He was going for development in a truck regiment on Saturday (9th of February). As per the sources, he was commanding an Independent tank squadron. He lost his life when he was hit by an avalanche on the Tibetan Plateau in North Sikkim.
About the Snow Blizzard Avalanche:
Major Nisheet Dogra who was leading an independent tank squadron (7 Corps) was hit by a snow blizzard after which he was gone missing due to heavy snowfall. He was found dead under the 5-6 feet snow layer.
The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority stated that this year, the state has received heavy snowfall in the higher altitude regions. The snowfall is received throughout the year but its more in the moth from January to March.
Due to the show lines from 20000 feet in the north to 16000 feet in the south, the state witnessed frequent avalanches. In most of the snow Blizzard, Indian army personnel has been the victims. Many parts of the state are remote that keeps them away from a proper communication channel and basic facilities. This even makes the issue intense for the Indian Army personnel.
Avalanche Incidents in the Past:
According to the report of WashingtonPost, in 2017, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in three avalanches, and in 2012, a massive avalanche in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir killed 140 people, including 129 Pakistani soldiers.
Major Causes of Snow Avalanches:
| ITEM | DESCRIPTION | FACTORS |
| Prime factors | Topographic factors | • Inclination of slope • Shape of slope • Location (ridge line or toe of slope) • Orientation of slope |
| Prime factors | Vegetation factors | • Vegetation cover and height of trees • Vegetation cover and its thickness |
| Exciting factors | Weather factors | • Depth of snow cover • Depth of snowfall • Wind velocity • Atmospheric and snow temperatures |
Snow Avalanches- Big Problem besides Pakistan:
Today, the Indian Army has one more critical problem to be faced besides Pakistan, who faced defeat during the 1999 Kargil War. The problem is none other than the Snow Avalanche which takes place in various parts of the North Indian as well as East locations of the country. In one of the area i.e. Kargil, nearly 300 avalanches take place every year causing critical damage to the tactical defenses along the LOC along with numerous army casualties.