NEW DELHI, Mar 1: Rescue operations have been intensified in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand after an avalanche buried a camp of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) near the high-altitude border village of Mana on Friday, trapping several workers under the debris.
Four of the 50 workers, who were rescued from the debris of an avalanche, died during treatment for injuries. Five workers remain trapped, the officials said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed its Mi-17 V5 medium-lift helicopters and light helicopters for relief operations as the roads remain blocked due to the avalanche, officials said. Earlier, officials said once the weather conditions improve in the area, the IAF would be ready to deploy its assets for relief operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to enquire about the situation and took information about the rescue operation. “He also took detailed information on the situation of rain and snowfall in the state. During this, the Prime Minister assured that the central government would provide all possible assistance to deal with any emergency,” said CM Dhami in an X post.
On Friday evening, CM Dhami visited the disaster control room in Dehradun to review the situation and held a meeting with top officials, directing them to expedite the rescue operation. He assured that all agencies are working on a war footing to carry out relief and rescue operations and said the stranded workers would be evacuated soon.
“PMO, HMO, and RMO are constantly taking updates on the situation. Indian Air Force helicopters are also kept on standby, and they will get to work as soon as the weather clears. Some rescue teams are also going by road. We will set up a temporary control room in Joshimath,” Mr Dhami said. Most of the trapped workers hail from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
Notably, Uttarakhand has witnessed many natural disasters, including landslides, floods and avalanches in recent years. In 2022, an avalanche at the Draupadi Ka Danda peak in Uttarakhand killed 27 mountaineers in the Advanced Mountaineering Course of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering- the worst mountaineering disaster recorded in India.
(Manas Dasgupta)
