Soldiers clear snow from their stranded vehicles near a base camp in Gulmarg on Friday. PTI

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 27

Fourteen soldiers have died in twin avalanches that hit an Army post and a patrol party in the remote Gurez sector of north Kashmir as one of the worst snowstorms of recent years ended today in the region.The bodies of four soldiers were recovered from an avalanche site in Gurez, close to the Line of Control, today, taking the snow-related death toll in the Kashmir valley to 21.The snowstorm, which lasted from Tuesday to Thursday, triggered deadly avalanches in several parts of north, central and south Kashmir.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)The worst hit was Gurez sector, where an Army post and a patrol party of soldiers were swept away by avalanches and four members of a family were buried inside their house. Army officials yesterday said coordinated search operations enabled the rescue of six soldiers. Bodies of 10 soldiers were recovered last evening and of  four today morning, Army and police officials said.The Army identified the dead personnel as a Major, who died in an avalanche at Sonmarg on Wednesday, and a Naib Subedar, a Havildar, a Naik, 10 sepoys and a craftsman — all killed in Gurez avalanches.Besides, a total of 40 structures, including houses and shops, have been damaged by heavy snowfall in Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Baramulla and Kupwara districts of the Valley. In Gulmarg, 6 feet of fresh snow has blocked entrances to hotels and markets. The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu highway remained cut off due to landslides and avalanches along its mountainous stretches. An official of the traffic department said a massive avalanche hit the highway near Shaitani Nullah, burying the road under 15 to 20 feet of snow. “The region received one of the heaviest spells of snowfall, surpassing all records of the past decade,” said Sonam Lotus, Director, Srinagar Meteorological Centre.