Tribune News Service,New Delhi, February 9
The next 48 hours are medically crucial for the Army jawan who was miraculously found alive after being buried under 25 feet of snow following an avalanche atop the Siachen glacier.A medical bulletin of the Army today said Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who was evacuated to Delhi this morning, is comatose but has no frostbite that would have permanently damaged the affected body part. But the bulletin, which was issued by Army spokesperson Col Rohan Anand, added: “He remains extremely critical and is expected to have a stormy course in the next 24 to 48 hours due to complications by re-warming and establishment of blood flow to the cold parts of the body.”Army doctors treating people with long exposure to cold follow a procedure of re-warming the human body by slowly infusing medication that facilitates blood flow to parts of the body that would have gone numb due to lack of oxygen and cold.The rescued soldier is being treated with fluids and drugs to bring up his blood pressure. He has been placed on a ventilator and is being given “humidified warm oxygen” and passive external re-warming. Rescue teams looking under the avalanche site at 20,000 feet atop the glacier, had last night found Hanamanthappa buried under 25 feet of ice. He was conscious but drowsy and disoriented. He was severely dehydrated, in shock and was resuscitated by the doctors at the site.Explaining his miraculous survival, sources said he was probably lucky to be wedged between two ice blocks which created a “pocket” around him, stopping wind and thus keeping him alive despite night temperature dropping to minus 55 °Celsius. The thick alpine clothing and specialised snow boots prevented him from freezing to death. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Army Chief General Dalbir Singh visited the Army Hospital Research and Referral (R&R) and commended the braveheart for his indomitable mental robustness.
150 soldiers, two canines were on rescue mission
- Over 150 soldiers, equipped with earth penetrating radars and ice-cutting tools, along with canines Dot and Misha helped rescue Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad (pic)
- They worked round the clock in rotations of an hour each to beat lack of oxygen. Using the specialised equipment, the rescuers were able to identify the location of the soldier and pull him out alive
- Koppad was conscious but drowsy and disoriented. He was severely dehydrated, hypothermic and in shock. Resuscitated on the spot, he was moved to Thoise, before being shifted to Delhi.
- The bodies of the remaining nine soldiers have been found from the avalanche site
Army teams pull off miracle at Siachen; survivor critical
INDOMITABLE SPIRIT Conscious when rescued, soldier later slipped into coma; PM, army chief visit Koppad in hospital
NEW DELHI: A soldier who was miraculously rescued by army personnel nearly a week after he was buried under 35 feet of snow by a deadly avalanche on Jammu and Kashmir’s Siachen glacier was battling for his life on Tuesday.
Army teams on Monday pulled out alive Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad who was trapped under a mound of snow for six days, an unparalleled feat on the planet’s most unforgiving battlefield.
The soldier was conscious when he was rescued, but later slipped into a coma with army sources saying he was in “extremely critical” condition.
He was among 10 soldiers of the 19 Madras Regiment who were presumed dead after a blinding slide struck their post in the western Himalayas on February 3. A day later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Manohar Parrikar took to Twitter to mourn the soldiers killed in the avalanche, ending all hopes of finding survivors.
A special operations C-130J Super Hercules plane of the IAF on Tuesday flew a dangerously-ill Koppad to Delhi where doctors are trying to save his life at the Army Research and Referral Hospital.
The next 24 hours to 48 hours would be critical for the Siachen survivor, officials said.
Another miracle may be required given his condition, with a team of four super specialists monitoring his vital signs round the clock, a defence ministry source said
Miracle at Siachen, survivor critical
The immediate threat is from acute renal failure related to the crush syndrome expected when people are trapped in an avalanche for a long time. A small air pocket may have helped Koppad survive, said experts.
Modi, Parrikar and army chief General Dalbir Singh visited the hospital and met doctors taking care of the soldier.
“No words are enough to describe the endurance & indomitable spirit of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. He is an outstanding soldier,” the PM tweeted, with the entire country praying for the 33-year-old soldier’s recovery.
His family in north Karnataka’s Dharwad erupted in joy as news of the dramatic rescue spread.
Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Chandrasekhar, well known for championing military causes, made arrangements for the family to fly to Delhi and for its stay here. The army has also made arrangements for the family to stay in the hospital complex.
The rescue mission, carried out at a height of 20,500 feet, ended with Koppad being pulled out alive along with the bodies of his comrades. Five dead soldiers lay next to him. The men died living up to the motto of their regiment, Swadharme Nidhanam Shreyaha (it is a glory to die doing one’s duty).
The soldiers were buried under snow after a massive wall of ice measuring 800ft by 400ft collapsed on their post. The ice debris covered an area spanning 1,000 metres by 800 metres, creating a nightmare for rescue teams racing against time to find survivors.
The operation involved more than 200 soldiers, avalanche rescue dogs, helicopters, rock drills, electrical saws and radars that can pick up metallic objects or heat signatures at a depth of 20m.
The men had to physically cut off ice blocks inch by inch as they went about looking for survivors. The dogs, Dot and Misha, came in for special praise from army officials.
“It is to the credit and dogged determination of the rescue teams which were working under extreme conditions that they have managed to extricate Koppad alive,” an army spokesperson said. He added that Koppad had shown “superhuman” courage by surviving for six days in temperatures ranging between minus 30 and minus 55 degrees. Rescue efforts were hampered by high intensity winds and blizzards.