NEW DELHI, Apr 24: Eight people were killed and six critically injured after they were caught in an avalanche that was reported in Niti valley in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district.
“384 persons have been rescued so far. Six of them are critical and currently under medical treatment. Eight bodies have been recovered. Rescue operation in progress,” the Indian Army said.
Chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat conducted an aerial survey of the area on Saturday and said that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had been deployed and rescue operation was underway. However, connectivity remains affected, he said.
An avalanche had hit a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) detachment and labour camps north of Joshimath in Uttarakhand on Friday. The area has been experiencing heavy rain.
“Around 4 p.m. on Friday, an avalanche hit a location about 4 km ahead of Sumna on Sumna–Rimkhim road in Uttarakhand, the official said. This is on the Joshimath–Malari–Girthidobla–Sumna–Rimkhim axis,” army spokesman said.
A BRO detachment and two labour camps are located nearby for road construction work along this axis and an Army camp is located 3 km from Sumna and about 1 km short of the BRO Sumna detachment.
“The area has experienced heavy rain and snow since the last five days, which is still continuing. Rescue operations were launched by the Army immediately,” the official said.
The road access is cut off at four to five locations due to multiple landslides.
Border Roads Task Force teams from Joshimath are working to clear slides en route from Bhapkund to Sumna since Friday evening, the official said, and added it was expected to take another six to eight hours to clear this axis.
“The Union home minister Amit Shah called us up last night. The NDRF and the district administration are on the job. The ITBP and BRO were informed. Rescue was done quickly. I did an aerial survey today. The BRO is carrying out the operation but the connectivity remains affected,” the chief minister said.
On Friday, the CM issued an alert in the area. “We have got information (about a) glacier breakage in Sumna area of Niti Valley. I have issued an alert in this regard. I am in continuous touch with district administration and BRO (Border Roads Organisation),” he tweeted.
“Have directed district administration to get all information about the incident. I have given the order to stop work during the night in NTPC and other projects so that no untoward incident occurs,” he said in another tweet.
In a similar incident, 80 people were killed in February last year due to a glacial burst at Chamoli district’s Joshimath.
(Manas Dasgupta)