India military death toll rises to 14 in Kashmir avalanche

Indian paramilitary soldiers take shelter from snow inside a tent as they stand guard on the eve of the Republic Day in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Four members of a family and an Indian soldier were killed Wednesday when they were buried by two separate avalanches in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, officials said. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) (The Associated Press)

An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard at a closed market as it snows during a general strike in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. Shops remained closed Thursday as separatists called for a general strike in the Indian-controlled portion of the disputed Kashmir region on India's Republic Day. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) (The Associated Press)

The Indian army says the death toll from an avalanche has risen to 14 as the bodies of four more soldiers who went missing in the accident were recovered in the highly militarized Line of Control area in the Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Indian army spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia said rescuers recovered the bodies early Friday after digging through piles of snow in the Gurez sector near the de facto frontier that separates the Indian- and Pakistani-held portions of the region.

An avalanche hit a military post and a patrol on Wednesday night and buried 21 Indian soldiers. Seven were rescued.

Avalanches and landslides are common in Kashmir and have caused some of the heaviest tolls for the Indian and Pakistani armies camped near the Line of Control area.