President lauds 'indomitable spirit' of Siachen avalanche survivor
President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday applauded the "indomitable spirit" of Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad rescued alive six days after he along with nine other armymen was buried under an avalanche on the Siachen glacier.
"I am happy to know that Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad has survived the avalanche on the Siachen glacier. I applaud his indomitable spirit and ability to endure adverse conditions," the President said in his message to army chief General Dalbir Singh.
The President said Koppad's will power and courage to fight all odds is truly an example to all others. "I join the people of our country in praying for his early and speedy recovery."
Koppad is under treatment at the Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi, where he was flown in from the Siachen base camp and admitted earlier Tuesday.
"He has been placed on a ventilator to protect his airway and lungs in view of his comatose state," a medical bulletin on his condition said.