File photo (Picture credit: PTI)

SRINAGAR: The Army has launched a massive search operation to trace two soldiers who went missing in a forested area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on October 6. Officials lost contact with the soldiers — part of a team on patrol duty in the woods of Ahlan Gadol, Kokernag — late Monday and have not been able to communicate with them since.“On the intervening night of 6/7 October an operational team on Kishtwar range confronted a severe snow storm and white out conditions in the mountains of South Kashmir. Since then, two soldiers have gone out of communication. Intense Search and Rescue operations have been launched but hampered due to prevailing adverse weather conditions,” Army’s Srinagar based 15 Corps (Chinar Corps) tweeted late Wednesday.The Kishtwar Himalaya range stretches from the border of south Kashmir’s Anantnag on its northwestern side to Kishtwar in Jammu division.Officials believe the duo may have been unable to reach out due to inclement weather. The Army has deployed choppers to assist ground troops in the search. “The operation is ongoing, with security forces combing the forests to locate the troopers,” said an official.Temperatures in Kashmir Valley have dropped by nearly 10°C following fresh snowfall in the higher reaches and rains in the plains since Monday.