Four die in Chamoli avalanche, 47 rescued, 4 missing

Four construction workers died after 51 of them were pulled out following an avalanche at a campsite near the high-altitude border village of Mana in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district the day before, officials confirmed on Saturday, as rescue efforts continued for four others believed to be trapped in the snow-buried containers where they slept.

The avalanche hit the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp between Mana and Mana Pass between 5.30am and 6am on Friday, burying 55 workers inside eight containers and a shed, according to the army. Thirty-three of them were rescued by Friday night, with the operation suspended as darkness fell.

“We have rescued 51 people so far from the avalanche hit site. Four of them have been declared dead. Our efforts to save the remaining are still on,” said Lt Col Manish Srivastava, public relations officer, defence, Dehradun.

The desperate search for the remaining four continued in treacherous conditions at the remote site located at an elevation of approximately 3,200 metres. More than 200 personnel, six helicopters, and ground-penetrating radar equipment have been deployed in what officials describe as a “war footing” operation.

“Eighteen more workers were rescued on Saturday morning, and 51 have been rescued so far. They have been admitted to army hospitals. The search for four remaining is underway at a war footing,” said chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who conducted an aerial inspection of the avalanche-hit site and reviewed rescue operations in Jyotirmath (previously Joshimath).

The workers were camping in eight metal shipping containers—makeshift dwelling facilities—when the avalanche hit on Friday morning. They were engaged by a contractor for a BRO project covering approximately 48km between Mana, the last Indian village before the China border, and Mana Pass, aimed at providing armed forces quick connectivity to the strategic border.

Battling blinding snowfall, near-zero visibility and freezing temperatures, rescuers struggled through deep snow that has accumulated up to 6-7 feet in the area. Rain and snowfall hampered the rescue efforts on Friday, and the operation was suspended as 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. Helicopters that remained grounded on Friday due to adverse weather carried out multiple sorties on Saturday to evacuate the rescued workers to Jyotirmath for better health care at an army hospital.

A senior army official said their doctors at a health care facility near the avalanche-hit site performed life-saving surgery on two critically injured workers on Friday before they were airlifted to Jyotirmath hospital on Saturday. Officials did not provide the exact number of injured workers but stated that those in critical condition were being prioritised for evacuation.

Of the eight containers housing the workers, rescue teams have successfully traced five and evacuated the occupants. “Due to heavy snowfall, three containers have not been traced yet. Sniffer dogs from the army have been deployed for the search,” Dhami said.

“Intensive patrolling is being conducted by three teams of the army. A Ground Penetrating Radar has been brought in from Delhi, which will assist in tracing the containers buried under the snow,” he added.

Lieutenant general Anindya Sengupta, general officer commanding-in-chief (GOC-In-C), central command, who visited the avalanche-hit site, provided additional details about the rescue operation.

“During the avalanche, 22 people had possibly escaped the campsite and gone towards Badrinath. However, the remaining were trapped. Some were recovered yesterday by sustained efforts of Indian Army, ITBP and other agencies during harsh weather conditions. While some were recovered today morning after working throughout the night,” he said.

Lt Col Srivastava outlined the scale of the rescue operation: “The rescue operation, which involves our seven officers, 17 Junior commissioned officers, and 150 soldiers, is led by a team of IBEX Brigade. A total of six helicopters have been deployed for evacuation as the roads are blocked. The helicopters include three Cheetah helicopters from Indian Army Aviation, two Cheetah helicopters from Indian Air Force, and one civil helicopter hired by the Army.”

“Twenty-three people rescued have been airlifted to Jyotirmath army hospital,” he added.

Access to the site remains severely restricted, with the Badrinath-Joshimath highway blocked at several places due to heavy snowfall. “Movement by road is impossible since it is clogged with snow,” said Lt gen Sengupta. The challenging conditions are compounded by the remoteness of the location, situated about 6km from Badrinath shrine and 260km from Dehradun.

Medical facilities across the region have been placed on high alert. “The injured workers are being treated at Army hospitals in Mana and Jyotirmath. AIIMS Rishikesh, Srinagar Medical College in Pauri Garhwal, as well as local CHCs and PHCs have been put on high alert,” Dhami said.

The approximately 200 personnel engaged in the relief and rescue operations include members of the Army, ITBP, BRO, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, district administration, and other state agencies.