Overview
- ISPR reported that a snow slide struck at about 2:00 am on January 3 during a clearance operation at Burzil Pass, leading to three confirmed fatalities.
- The deceased were identified as Captain Asmad, 28, from Lahore; Sepoy Rizwan, 32, from Attock; and Essa, a Public Works Department machine operator from Astore.
- Rescue teams recovered all four people who were entrapped under the snow; one soldier survived while three later died after their conditions deteriorated.
- The operation sought to restore access for the movement of forces through the pass, with military personnel working alongside a civilian operator using heavy machinery.
- ISPR described the deaths as an ultimate sacrifice, and President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued condolences to the families.