ISLAMABAD: A snow slide during a military-led clearance operation at the high-altitude Burzil Pass in northern Pakistan killed two soldiers and a civilian machine operator in the early hours of Saturday, the Pakistani military said.

The incident occurred around 2 a.m. on Jan. 3 while heavy machinery was being used to clear snow and reopen the pass to facilitate the operational movement of Pakistani forces.

Located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Burzil Pass sits on a rugged, high-altitude route linking Astore to Gurez near the Line of Control with Indian-administered Kashmir.

“On night 2/3 January 2026, a Snow Clearance Operation was conducted, using heavy machinery to open Burzil Pass to facilitate operational movement of own forces in the area,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said.

It added that the operation was being led by Captain Asmad, 28, when the snow slide struck, trapping him along with two soldiers and a civilian operator from the public works department.

“All four individuals were rescued from snow,” ISPR continued. “However, the condition of Captain Asmad, Sepoy Rizwan (age 32 years, resident of Attock) and Machine Operator Essa (resident of Astore) deteriorated and all three individuals embraced Shahadat [martyrdom].”

The military said these individuals “rendered ultimate sacrifice” by carrying out a challenging operation in extreme weather conditions to facilitate the operational movement of the forces in the area.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later paid tribute to the deceased, saying they performed their duty despite the dangers posed by heavy snowfall, according to a statement released by his office.

“The martyrs carried on with the task of opening the snow-affected Burzil Pass without regard for their own lives and played their role in ensuring movement,” Sharif said, while offering condolences to their families.