The end for the doughty soldier came a little before noon, three days after he was miraculously pulled out alive from under 30 feet of ice-and-snow debris where he lay buried for six days on the unforgiving Siachen glacier.
A resident of village Betadur in Dharwad district of Karnataka, the Madras regiment soldier was pulled out alive from under 30 ft of ice-and-snow debris where he lay buried for six days on the unforgiving Siachen glacier.
Indians have joined hands in praying for Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, who has been in a coma since his rescue on Tuesday.
Wife of Siachen braveheart Hanamanthappa Koppad, Mahadevi Ashok Bilebal wants their only daughter to join the Indian army when she grows up.
The body of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad was laid to rest with full state honours, after thousands of people bid an emotional farewell to the Siachen braveheart at his native village of Betadur in Dharwad district of north Karnataka on Friday.
The army confirmed the recovery of the mortal remains of nine soldiers buried under Siachen Glacier avalanche debris on Tuesday evening.
"The brave solider displayed a high degree of initiative and has served 10 years in difficult and challenging areas out of 13 years of total service," a senior army officer said.
The village of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad plunged into grief as he passed away on Thursday after battling for life since his miraculous survival in Siachen, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah leading the state in paying homage to the braveheart from Karnataka.
The condition of Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad, the Siachen braveheart who defied death for six days buried under snow, has deteriorated, the army said on Wednesday as a team of experts from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences joined in the efforts save his life.
The atmosphere at the funeral was highly emotional with friends, relatives and locals bidding tearful farewell.
Army man Hanamanthappa Koppad, who survived for six days buried under tonnes of snow, is a highly-motivated soldier and has served in difficult areas for 13 years in the army.
Pay homage to the soldiers who lost their lives in the Siachen avalanche
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The bodies of nine Siachen bravehearts, who were buried alive in an avalanche, are likely to be brought to New Delhi on Monday.
The determination of over 150 soldiers helped by two canines and earth penetrating radars and special ice cutting equipment helped rescue Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad.
Fortunately, there was no cold exposure-related frost bite or bony injuries to him, a medical bulletin issued by the hospital said.
Mahadevi said the family was going through a painful ordeal after the members came to know of the tragedy, but the news of his survival brought smiles back on faces.
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