Uttarakhand avalanche: Of 50 workers rescued, four die; search on for five labourers

Dehradun: Fifty workers have been pulled out of snow from the site of an avalanche-hit BRO camp in the Mana village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, but four of them died on Saturday as rescuers raced against time to save the remaining five.

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. Thirty-three of them were rescued by Friday night.

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 morning, the Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel based in Mana resumed the rescue operation, District Disaster Management Officer N K Joshi said.

Six helicopters, including three of the Indian Army Aviation, two of the IAF and one civil copter hired by the Army, are engaged in the rescue operations, an Army spokesperson said.

"Fifty labourers have been rescued out of which, unfortunately, four injured have been confirmed as fatal casualties while the search for the remaining five is underway," the Army spokesperson said.

The injured were being prioritised for evacuation, he said.

Sources said that two of the rescued workers have been taken to AIIMS-Rishikesh for advanced treatment.

According to the Army spokesperson, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta GOC-in C Central Command and Lt Gen D G Mishra GOC Uttar Bharat area have reached the avalanche site to monitor the rescue operations.

Lt Gen Sengupta said movement by road is impossible since it is clogged with snow. The Badrinath-Joshimath highway is blocked at 15-20 places, he said.

There were eight containers at the BRO camp, of which five have been traced while three are missing. A large number of the labourers rescued so far were found in the five containers, Lt Gen Sengupta said.

Located three kilometres from Badrinath, Mana is the last village on the India-Tibet border at a height of 3,200 metres.

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.

The Uttarakhand chief minister interacted with an injured labourer who was being airlifted to Jyotirmath for treatment. In a post on X, he said, "Took stock of the situation by conducting an aerial survey of the avalanche area near Mana in Chamoli district."

Of the 55 workers originally trapped in the avalanche, four are from Uttar Pradesh's Mathura. Their family members expressed full faith that the Uttarakhand government would rescue the workers safely.

The mother of a worker, Vivek, told PTI Videos that he got married two years ago and is the father of a girl. His mother hoped that Vivek would be rescued soon.

Meanwhile, family members of Ram Sujan Singh from Rasra in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia said they have not received any information about him. He had gone to Chamoli in January 2024 and worked as a supervisor there, his son told PTI.

"They (the local administration) do not have any information about how my father is," he said, adding that he last spoke to his father on Monday.

Singh has been named in the official list of the 55 workers who were buried under snow. However, Ballia Superintendent of Police Omveer Singh said he was not aware about Ram Sujan Singh being among the trapped workers.

Earlier in the day, Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said 11 of the rescued labourers were 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," he said.

He also said, "The weather is turning bad again and could slow down the rescue operation. Army helicopters are making sorties and if the weather remains favourable, we will soon be able to find the remaining labourers."

The chief minister said that he has instructed officials to ensure that the relief and rescue works are conducted quickly. "Our government is working promptly for the safety of the affected workers," he added.

In another post, Dhami said that PM Modi spoke to him on the phone about the situation in Chamoli.

"Prime Minister @narendramodi ji spoke on the phone and took information about the rescue operation being carried out to safely evacuate the trapped workers. "He also sought detailed information on the rain and snowfall situation. During the conversation, the prime minister assured that the central government would provide all possible assistance (to the state) to deal with any emergency," Dhami said.

Speaking to reporters, the chief minister said, "When I was doing the aerial survey, I noticed that the flow of water in the Alaknanda river has stopped due to snow."

"There were eight containers, of which five have been traced. Fourteen people who were rescued in the morning were found in a container. Operation is underway to find three more containers. We are working towards setting up radar," he added.