33 rescued, hunt on for 22 as avalanche hits Chamoli
Rescue teams were battling treacherous terrain, blinding snowfall and freezing temperatures in a desperate race against time to save the trapped workers
Twenty-two Border Roads Organisation (BRO) labourers working to clear snow near the high-altitude border village of Mana in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district remained trapped under an avalanche till late on Friday even as 33 were pulled out in a frantic rescue operation, officials said.
Rescue teams were battling treacherous terrain, blinding snowfall and freezing temperatures in a desperate race against time to save the trapped workers. The extreme weather has forced rescuers to proceed without air support, relying instead on ground teams navigating blocked mountain roads, the officials cited above added.
“At about 8am, a massive avalanche hit the camp trapping 55 workers there [two of the workers were on leave]. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (IRBP) and Indian Army personnel deployed there quickly started the rescue operations amid snowfall and freezing weather conditions,” said Sandeep Tiwari, Chamoli’s district magistrate.
Nand Kishore Joshi, the district disaster management officer at Chamoli, later said: “33workers have been rescued till 5 pm and efforts are on to rescue the remaining 22 workers”.
The workers were camped near Mana village, 6km from Badrinath shrine and 260km from Dehradun, to clear the road of boulders and snow with an aim to provide armed forces quick connectivity to the strategic China border. BRO has a 48km road that it maintains to the Mana Pass on the China border from Mana village, the last village on the frontier with the neighbouring country.
Visibility was near-zero in the area, with heavy snow hampering access to the remote site located at an elevation of 3,200 metres. Helicopters remained grounded due to the adverse conditions, complicating evacuation efforts for those already rescued, including three in critical condition.
“Due to lack of visibility, it is not possible for helicopters to go at present. Our first priority is to get the workers out safely. Snowfall is continuing in the area and the road to the affected area is blocked at many places. The weather is likely to clear tomorrow, which will also speed up the rescue operation,” said chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday afternoon, adding that he had instructed officials to reach the spot as soon as possible.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said all efforts were being taken to rescue the trapped personnel by utilising all available resources. “Rescue efforts by local army units are also underway,” he added.
According to Uttarakhand disaster management officials, the region has been witnessing snowfall since February 25, and an avalanche alert was issued for Friday in the region.
A disaster management official said efforts were on to clear the road for National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) personnel, but continuous heavy snow is hampering the road-opening work.
“A team from Jyotirmath (formerly Joshimath) has been sent to the affected site. They are yet to reach because of road blockade. Additionally, our high-altitude teams at Gauchar (Chamoli) and Sahastradhara (Dehradun) have been placed on standby,” SDRF Uttarakhand commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said.
Lt Col Manish Srivastava, public relations officer, Defence Dehradun, said a dedicated rescue team of 174 army officers and personnel of IBEX Brigade of the Indian Army is carrying out the rescue operation in Mana Village since 8 am.
“The team is working relentlessly in challenging conditions to conduct search and rescue operations to rescue the trapped people. Specialised medical team comprising two doctors and four ambulances have also been deployed there. Ten persons have been rescued so far who are under the treatment of Army doctors. Of the rescued, three are said to be in a critical condition and efforts are on to bring them to better medical facilities. The operation remains ongoing, with all resources focused on saving lives,” he said.
Following the incident, Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to the director generals of ITBP and NDRF, asking them to deploy additional forces for the rescue operation. He also spoke to Chief Minister Dhami.
“An unfortunate avalanche has occurred in the Mana area of Joshimath (Uttarakhand) today impacting the GREF camp of BRO. Spoke to CM Shri @pushkardhami regarding the situation. The administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected,” Shah said in a post on X.
Chamoli, along with Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi, is one of the most disaster-prone districts in the state. On February 7, 2021, there was a breakage of a glacier in the Chamoli district, which led to a flash flood and wreaked havoc downstream, killing 204 people.
In April 2021, a snow avalanche hit the Niti Valley in Chamoli district, killing 15 people. The avalanche struck the Sumna area near the Indo-China border at an altitude of over 11,000 ft. Most of the trapped people who were killed were labourers working under BRO for the construction of roads there.
In January 2023, a snow avalanche hit Malari village near the Indo-China border in Chamoli district, nearly 60 km from Jyotirmath (previously Joshimath). However, no damage to life and property was caused in that incident.
Weather experts have previously warned that changing climate patterns are contributing to increased instability in the Himalayan region.
