41 Workers Missing After Massive Avalanche Near Badrinath, 16 Rescued

Officials reported today that at least 41 workers from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are caught beneath an avalanche in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The event occurred close to the border village of Mana, roughly five kilometers away from the Badrinath temple.

An official reported that of the total 57 workers, 16 have been rescued and taken to the army camp near Mana village in serious condition. Around 60 to 65 individuals are participating in the rescue effort.

At the time of the incident, 57 road construction workers were present in the BRO camp, as stated by Deepam Seth, the Director General of Police for Uttarakhand. “The rescue operation has been underway for the last two hours. The main challenge is the bad weather. It has been snowing with strong winds…The roads are completely blocked. We have deployed snow cutters to open the road,” added Mr Seth.

“Three to four ambulances have also been sent, but due to heavy snowfall, the rescue team is facing difficulties in reaching there,” BRO (Border Roads Organisation) Executive Engineer CR Meena told.

“It is actively raining and snowing therefore, we are unable to deploy heli-services. Movement is difficult,” the Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said.

A team from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has departed Joshimath and is heading to the disaster area. The military has been reached out to in order to clear the path in Lambagad, which is currently inaccessible due to a road blockage. A different team is prepared at the Sahastradhara helipad. Once the weather conditions get better, the high-altitude rescue team from SDRF will be airlifted by helicopter to the closest location.

The SDRF drone squad is also prepared. Nevertheless, Ridhim Agarwal, Inspector General of Police, SDRF, stated that drone operations are currently unfeasible due to significant snowfall.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his “sorrow” over the event and confirmed that relief and rescue efforts are in progress. Mr. Dhami conducted a meeting with the state’s senior officials at the State Disaster Control Room to assess the advancement of the current rescue operation.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Mr Dhami and assured: “all efforts to rescue the trapped personnel are being undertaken by utilising all available resources.” Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the priority is to “safely evacuate the people trapped in the accident”. Two teams of NDRF are also reaching the spot soon, he informed.