After first being declared dead, a soldier who was buried under the snow after an avalanche struck his post on the Siachen glacier was miraculously found alive by a rescue unit.
Lance Naik Hanamanthappa has been flown to a hospital in Delhi from Siachen after being rescued. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was among those who tweeted wishing him well:
My prayers are with Lance Naik Hanumanthappa who miraculously survived the avalanche at Siachen.
— Manohar Parrikar (@manoharparrikar) February 9, 2016
But soon after this video started circulating on social media:
Amazing! Video of our Avalanche hit Jawan being rescued after 6 days. Video being circulated on social. Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/Zf3ERc2Rv6
— Rajesh Kalra (@rajeshkalra) February 9, 2016
But it’s rather obvious that this isn’t a video of the rescue attempt that saved Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. Take a look at these images circulated earlier by the Army of the attempt to recover the bodies of those buried under the snow:
#SiachenAvalanche : Rescue efforts are still on by the Armed Forces at glacial heights for the 10 missing personnel. pic.twitter.com/fpOXjYFcmI
— Sitanshu Kar (@sitanshurkar) February 8, 2016
Basically the gear is completely different from what the rescue personnel was wearing. As many pointed out, the soldier wouldn’t be in a condition to pull himself out after days of being in the snow. Just goes to show to can’t trust everything shared on social media.
Featured image: @sitanshukar