The family members of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa, who was yesterday miraculously found alive buried under 25 feet of snow following an avalanche in the Siachen glacier, today said that they were very glad and waiting anxiously to see him.
Hanamanthappa's wife, who has been praying for her husband's survival, told the media in Dharwad, Karnataka, that she is anxiously waiting to see him.
Meanwhile, his nephew, who had lost all hopes, said that it was the blessings of the entire villagers that the Lance Naik has fought with the extremely difficult conditions and stayed alive.
A rescue team, which had been chipping away at ice for days, last night found army Hanamanthappa, who was buried under 25 feet of snow at the Siachen Glacier, in temperatures close to minus 40 degrees.
The body of Hanamanthappa, who is on ventilator, will arrive at the Palam airbase and from there he would be taken to the Army Research and Referral Hospital.
Meanwhile, army source said the rescue teams have located mortal remains of all the remaining nine soldiers and they are being brought out from the avalanche site.
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After an avalanche on February 3, the soldiers were buried deep under the snow.
Hanamanthappa was trapped in an air bubble, which saved his life.
Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had yesterday dismissed suggestions for withdrawal of troops from Siachen.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an international maritime conference in Visakhapatnam, he said the military presence in Siachen is in consonance with the country's security needs.
He emphasized on the need to understand the importance of troop deployment in spite of the hostile conditions.
The Defence Minister also asserted there seemed to be no loose ends in this incident as it was an unpredicted way of nature showing its strength.
"It is an avalanche. These are just unpredicted things by which nature shows its strength. We can't help it. Hope of any survival is very less," Parrikar said.