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National

Body of Indian soldier Chandrashekhar Harbola found 38 years after avalanche on Siachen Glacier

Thousands of soldiers have died on the Siachen Glacier over the years from avalanches, landslides, frostbite, altitude sickness or heart failure.  (Reuters: Faisal Mahmood )

An Indian soldier's body has been found 38 years after he went missing after an avalanche on the world's highest battlefield, the Siachen Glacier.

The Northern Command of the Indian Army said the body of Chandrashekhar Harbola was uncovered in a bunker by an army patrol in the eastern Karakoram mountain range of the Himalayas.

He went missing during the Siachen conflict between India and Pakistan on May 29, 1984.

The soldier's identification disk bearing his army number was found with his remains, the army said. 

The army said he made the "ultimate sacrifice" and his remains had been handed over to his family. 

The glacier has historically been at the centre of a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan, with both countries claiming sovereignty over the region which separates Pakistan from China.

Thousands of soldiers have died on the Siachen Glacier since India launched its Operation Meghdoot offensive in 1984. 

Almost all the deaths have been caused by avalanches, landslides, frostbite, altitude sickness or heart failure rather than combat.

One of the worst disasters on the glacier was in 2012 when 140 Pakistani soldiers were killed at the high-altitude Gayari base. 

In 2016, an Indian soldier was found alive six days after he was buried by a deadly avalanche on the glacier which killed nine soldiers.

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