Lance Naik Hanamanthappa, who was battling for his life at the Army’s Research & Referral hospital in New Delhi, has passed away. He was admitted at the hospital on February 9th morning and was on ventilator since. His condition steadily deteriorated due to multiple organ failure. The soldier of 19 Madras Regiment was rescued alive on Monday night (February 8th) after being buried under 35 feet of snow for six days. He was flown to Delhi in an Air Force aircraft. The avalanche had buried their camp on February 3.
About Lance Naik Hanamanthappa
- Lance Naik Hanamanthappa, who is survived by his wife and two-year-old daughter, belonged to a farming family in Betadur village, Kundagol taluk, Dharwad district, Karnataka.
- The youngest in the family, Lance Naik Hanamanthappa always wanted to join the Army.
- He came up the hard way, attending the high school at Aralikatti village by walking 6 km every day. And, despite being rejected thrice in the Army recruitment rallies at Belagavi, Dharwad and Gadag, he kept on trying and finally managed to get into the 19 Madras Regiment 14 years ago.
- Four years ago, he married Mahadevi (Jayashri). Their daughter, Netra, is two years old. His last visit to Betadur was six months ago. His earnings helped build a house on a government-allotted site in the village.
