Avalanche in Uttarakhand traps nearly 50 workers, rescue ops underway

A massive avalanche struck near Mana village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, trapping 47 workers engaged in road construction near the Indo-Tibetan border. The incident occurred approximately 3 km ahead of Badrinath Dham, close to a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp. Rescue operations are underway, with 10 workers rescued and taken to an army camp in critical condition.

The avalanche hit a site where workers were involved in infrastructure development, severely affecting the ongoing construction work. Multiple agencies, including the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), district administration, and BRO teams, have been deployed. However, heavy snowfall is making rescue efforts challenging. BRO Executive Engineer CR Meena confirmed that three to four ambulances were sent to the location, but their arrival has been delayed due to adverse weather.

Uttarakhand Police spokesperson Nilesh Anand Bharne stated, "A massive avalanche has occurred near the Border Roads Organisation camp in the border area of Mana, in which 47 workers engaged in road construction have been trapped. Out of these workers, 10 have been rescued and sent to the army camp near Mana in critical condition." He further added that teams are struggling to reach the trapped workers due to continuous snowfall and difficult terrain.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Uttarakhand, forecasting extremely heavy rain and snowfall until late Friday night. The IMD has warned of localised flooding, waterlogging, reduced visibility, increased travel time due to traffic disruptions, and minor damage to unpaved roads in the affected areas. Rescue efforts are ongoing, but the situation remains critical due to severe weather conditions. Authorities are working to locate and extricate the remaining trapped workers as quickly as possible.