The death toll of the Indian army from the avalanche in Indian- controlled Kashmir has reached 16, while three others were still missing by Thursday evening, said officials.

The major avalanche hit the army camp at village Dawar of Gurez in frontier Bandipora district, around 115 km north of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, while a smaller one hit the post in Sonamarg of Ganderbal district around 84 km north of Srinagar.

At least 13 troopers were rescued so far after being caught under thick layers of snow in Gurez.

"The death toll in the avalanches has reached 16 and three are still missing." said Lt. Col. J. S. Brar, Indian Army spokesman in Srinagar. "The dead also include five Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO's)."

A major avalanche hit an army workshop in the Brigade headquarters in Gurez sector around 10:00 p.m. (local time) Wednesday, where 29 troopers were caught underneath the thick layer of snow.

Officials said the inclement weather conditions in Gurez area are hampering the rescue operations. At late afternoon Thursday, an army helicopter managed to fly a special team of the military rescuers to the area to carry out search.

"Rescue operations are being hindered by heavy snow and bad weather conditions," said Brar. "A specialized team from High Altitude Warfare School along with two avalanche rescue dogs has reached the spot."

A local government official with the region's disaster management cell Amir Ali said at least 25 army vehicles and 17 barracks were damaged in the avalanche at Gurez.

Gurez is close to Line of Control (LoC), a defacto border dividing Kashmir into Indian and Pakistani controlled parts. There is a huge deployment of Indian army and border guards on LoC in the region.

Officials said four troopers and two civil porters injured in Sonamarg camp are undergoing treatment.

The Sonamarg camp was hit by avalanche at around 17:00 p.m. ( local time) Wednesday.

Indian controlled Kashmir experienced heavy snowfall in the upper reaches during the last two months.

Authorities had issued avalanche warnings in these areas following reports from Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, asking people inhabiting these places to avoid venturing outside.