At least four workers have died, and several others have been injured after an avalanche swept away a large construction crew working on a highway near the Mana Pass in Chamoli district on Friday, officials said on Saturday. The incident trapped 55 workers under snow.
Rescuers managed to pull out 50 workers, but four of them later succumbed to their injuries, the Indian Army said in a statement, as per news agency AFP.
The search operation for the five remaining missing workers is ongoing, with multiple rescue teams and military helicopters scanning the site. The statement did not specify the total number of injured but mentioned that those requiring medical attention were being “prioritised for evacuation.”
Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari told news agency ANI, “The rescue operation that began yesterday, 33 workers were rescued yesterday. Seventeen more have been rescued today. In total, 50 people have been rescued, five people are still missing, and the search operation is underway to trace them.”
According to ITBP spokesperson Kamlesh Kamal, rescue operations were hampered due to heavy snowfall, making the area inaccessible. “Rescue operations were slow due to heavy snowfall, and the area remained inaccessible,” he said.
Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, provided details about the incident, stating, “We are at Mana, the site of the avalanche. Eight containers carrying labourers were trapped. Twenty-two persons had escaped, while the remaining were trapped. They were recovered yesterday with efforts from the Indian Army, ITBP platoon, and other agencies during bad weather. Fourteen were recovered this morning.”
VIDEO | Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, GOC-in-C, Central Command informs about the entire Chamoli avalanche incident and the further rescue operation.
“We are at Mana, the site of avalanche. Eight containers carrying labourers had trapped. 22 persons had escaped, the balance were… pic.twitter.com/xGNXpmspWj
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 1, 2025
“This area is cut off from Joshimath. Two companies of Garhwal Scout and 7 Assam are trying to recover the remaining seven persons. Two persons have been recovered as dead till now. UAVs and radars will be pressed into service. We are hopeful we will be able to complete the operation by this evening. The Chief Minister visited the site and assured all coordination from all agencies,” he added.
ITBP Commandant Vijay Kumar P expressed hope for the successful rescue of the remaining workers. “Two to three people are in critical condition with fractures and head injuries. They are admitted to Joshimath Hospital. Eight individuals are still missing, and we are hopeful they will be rescued by this evening,” he told ANI.
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Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Visits Injured Workers, Visits Avalanche-Hit Area
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met the injured Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers at Joshimath Hospital and also visited the avalanche-affected area near Mana in Chamoli district on Saturday. “ARMY, NDRF, ITBP, and district administration personnel are there for the rescue work. Due to heavy snowfall, all the roads connecting the site have been blocked. We are trying to rescue all those who are still trapped as soon as possible. The 14 workers who were rescued today are all safe, and they are being brought to Joshimath,” Dhami said.
चमोली जिले में माणा के पास हिमस्खलन प्रभावित क्षेत्र का दौरा कर मौके पर जारी राहत एवं बचाव कार्यों का जायजा लिया। इस दौरान सुरक्षित बाहर निकाले गए श्रमिकों का कुशलक्षेम जाना।
साथ ही बचाव कार्य में जुटे सैन्य अधिकारियों एवं प्रशासनिक टीमों से विस्तृत जानकारी प्राप्त कर आवश्यक… pic.twitter.com/ibSm5qARh6
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) March 1, 2025
District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari stated that four helicopters had been deployed for the rescue operation with assistance from the Centre and State governments. “We have brought seven people to Joshimath Hospital, and they are under treatment. They are under doctors’ observation. Three of them are stable…I hope that the remaining people will also be rescued soon,” he said.
The ecologically sensitive Himalayan region, severely affected by global warming, is prone to avalanches and flash floods. In 2022, 27 trainee mountaineers were killed in an avalanche in Uttarakhand. A year earlier, a glacier burst resulted in a flash flood which killed more than 200 people.
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