New Delhi: While it was nothing short of a miracle that an Indian Army soldier was found alive six days after being buried under 35 feet of snow on Siachen glacier — and presumed dead, not only the tough survival training modules that he underwent to face natural calamities but also the ice may have played a key role in his survival, say health experts.
“Organs are usually transferred or preserved in frozen situation. In the soldier’s case, there is a possibility that the ice turned into a saviour which protected him from death,” Sameer Shrivastava of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, told media. The next one-to-two days are critical for the soldier. “Internal injuries can only happen when external parts are damaged owing to extreme conditions. Heart rate becomes slow leading to cardiac arrest and basal metabolic rate goes down leading to slow death which, miraculously, did not happen in this case,” Dr Shrivastava said. Agencies
