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Five servicemen hit by snow avalanche in South Ossetia, two still missing

First responders are working at the scene

TSKHINVAL, December 21. /TASS/. Five servicemen of Russia’s Southern Military District were hit by an avalanche on the Transcaucasian Highway in South Ossetia, and two of them are still missing, the district’s press service said.

Three servicemen received first aid, and are believed to have suffered light injuries, the press service said. Two of them have been hospitalized. A search for the other two men is still underway.

South Ossetia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said only two of the servicemen have been retrieved from under the snow while the whereabouts of another one have been established and he’s able to maintain contact.

First responders are working at the scene.

Traffic on the Transcaucasian highway, the only motorway connecting South Ossetia and Russia, has been prohibited since Monday morning due to avalanche risk.

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