Uttarakhand avalanche: One labourer dies, 49 rescued; search continues for remaining 5

Dehradun: A labourer died and 49 were pulled out alive from the snow that engulfed a BRO camp in the high-altitude Mana village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district as rescuers raced against time to find survivors on Saturday. Five workers remain trapped. Thirty-three labourers were rescued by Friday night. The avalanche hit the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp between Mana and Badrinath between 5:30 am and 6 am on Friday, burying 55 workers inside eight containers and a shed, according to the Army. Rain and snowfall hampered the rescue efforts on Friday and the operation was suspended as the night fell. As the weather cleared up on Saturday, choppers joined the operation.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the affected area and directed officials to speed up the rescue operation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Dhami and assured him of full support. District Disaster Management Officer N K Joshi said Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel based in Mana resumed the rescue operation in the morning. A labourer died at the avalanche site, sources said. Officials said 49 labourers have been rescued alive and a search is underway for the remaining five. Eleven of the rescued labourers have been brought to the Army hospital in Jyotirmath. Of them, one is critical, some have fractures and others have minor injuries. Vitals of all of them except one are stable and necessary investigations are being done by specialist doctors at the hospital, Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said. The weather is turning bad again and could slow down the rescue operation. However, Army helicopters are making sorties and if the weather remains favourable, we will soon be able to find the remaining eight labourers, he said.

Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the avalanche-hit area. He also interacted with an injured labourer who was being airlifted to Jyotirmath for treatment. "Took stock of the situation by conducting an aerial survey of the avalanche area near Mana in Chamoli district," Dhami said in a post on X. He said he instructed officials to ensure that the relief and rescue work is conducted quickly and effectively. "Our government is working promptly for the safety of the affected workers," he added. In another post, the chief minister said that PM Modi spoke to him on the phone about the situation in Chamoli. "Respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji spoke on the phone and took information about the rescue operation being carried out to safely evacuate the workers trapped in Mana in Chamoli district. "He also sought detailed information on the situation of rain and snowfall in the state. During the conversation, the prime minister assured that the central government will provide all possible assistance (to the state) to deal with any emergency," Dhami said. Located three kilometres from Badrinath, Mana is the last village on the India-Tibet border at a height of 3,200 metres.