8 feared dead after Himalayan avalanches

Avalanches and landslides in Kashmir forced Indian security teams to airlift thousands of people to safe areas, while at least eight Pakistani soldiers were feared dead after they were buried under a snowslide near the Afghan border, officials said Thursday. Both incidents occurred in the Himalayas, about 150 miles apart.

Landslides have blocked the road between Srinagar and Jammu, the winter capital of Indian Kashmir, and thousands of stranded people on both sides of the highway were being airlifted to safe areas. Srinagar is the state's summer capital.

More than 3,000 people have been rescued in the past two days, senior police official Shakeel Beigh said Thursday. Another 5,000 are waiting to be airlifted, he added.

Among the rescued were three foreign tourists _ Gay Landen of Israel, Ido Neigu of Canada, and Franciska Rogne of Norway. They were skiing Wednesday at Gulmarg, a tourist resort about 30 miles northwest of Srinagar, when they veered off the trail and then could not find their way back because of an avalanche.

A joint team of police, army and tourism officials rescued the skiers from the 13,500-foot-high slopes after eight hours, said Sarmad Hafiz, a state tourist officer.

Last month, an avalanche in the area killed Shaun Cratzev, 31, of Australia.

Frequent rain and heavy snowfall in the last month have triggered avalanches and landslides in Kashmir.

Officials said it may take five more days to clear the highway if the weather does not get worse.

A Pakistani official said eight Pakistani soldiers were feared dead after they were buried in an avalanche Thursday while patrolling on foot near the Afghan border.

The incident occurred near the snow-covered mountainous tribal area of Kachkol, about 45 miles northwest of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier province.

Arbab Arif, in charge of security for the country's northwestern tribal regions, said rescuers had pulled out five troops, but that at least eight to 10 were still buried in the avalanche.

"The chances of their survival are bleak," Arif said, without elaborating.

Pakistan has deployed about 80,000 troops in its tribal regions, including Kachkol, to flush out members of the Taliban, al-Qaida, and their supporters who are believed to be hiding there.