7 soldiers killed in avalanche in Arunachal Pradesh; here’s what you need to know about the rolling mass of snow
Bodies of seven Indian Army personnel were found two days after their patrol along the border was hit by an avalanche in Arunachal Pradesh’s Kameng sector
Avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a mountainside. A fully developed avalanche can weigh as much as a million tons. It can travel faster than 320 kilometers per hour. (Image: News18 Creative)
2/7
An avalanche has three main parts. The origin of an avalanche is called the Starting Point. The body of the pathway is called the Track of the avalanche. When the avalanche loses its momentum and eventually stops it reaches the Runout Zone. This usually occurs when the slope has reached a steepness that is less than 20 degrees. (Image: News18 Creative)
3/7
Avalanche speed varies according to its shape and size. Avalanches occur in two general forms, or combinations thereof: slab avalanches and wet snow avalanches. Slab avalanches are made of tightly packed snow, triggered by a collapse of an underlying weak snow layer. (Image: News18 Creative)
4/7
Wet snow avalanches made of looser snow. After being set off, avalanches usually accelerate rapidly and grow in mass and volume as they capture more snow. If an avalanche moves fast enough, some of the snow may mix with the air, forming a powder snow avalanche. (Image: News18 Creative)
5/7
The 1970 Huascaran debris avalanche is the deadliest avalanche in history. It occurred when a debris avalanche and mudflow triggered by the Ancash earthquake and destroyed the Peruvian town of Yungay and ten nearby villages. (Image: News18 Creative)
6/7
Deaths are mainly caused due to asphyxiation after being submerged in snow. It isn’t the only cause of avalanche fatalities. People are as likely be killed by the sheer blunt force trauma of a wall of snow as being buried alive. (Image: News18 Creative)
7/7
A look at the number of Indian soldiers who lost their lives due to avalanche or snow slide in hill states. (Image: News18 Creative)
