A devastating avalanche took place in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Friday, burying a camp of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and trapping several workers under the snow.
At least 50 workers were rescued from the avalanche-hit site in Mana village, but four of them succumbed to their injuries as authorities are racing against time to rescue four more labourers feared trapped in the snow. Rescue operations resumed on Sunday for the third day.
According to the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA), five labourers were feared missing, but one of them – Sunil Kumar from Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra – had reached home safely on his own, bringing the focus to the remaining four workers.
Uttarakhand: In the Mana avalanche rescue operations, 50 people have been rescued, four deaths have been confirmed, and four individuals are still missing pic.twitter.com/KDopgPcj2I
— IANS (@ians_india) March 2, 2025
The Indian Army, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as well as the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were leading combined efforts to rescue labourers trapped in the avalanche.
“A total of 54 (BRO workers) were missing, 50 have been rescued, and 4 people have lost their lives. Four people are still missing, and a search and rescue operation is going on, and we hope that we will find them soon,” said Uttarakhand Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman on Sunday.
PM Modi, Amit Shah Monitor Efforts
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were closely monitoring the rescue operations led by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who was seen providing instructions at regular intervals.
माणा (चमोली) में हुए हिमस्खलन में फंसे श्रमिकों के राहत एवं बचाव कार्यों का स्थलीय निरीक्षण किया। राहत और बचाव अभियान में जुटे सेना, आईटीबीपी, और स्थानीय प्रशासन की टीमों का कार्य सराहनीय है। pic.twitter.com/oLaYmtfugk
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) March 1, 2025
Of the 50 workers rescued so far, 33 were rescued on Friday and 17 on Saturday. The rescue operations on Saturday were carried out mostly by the Army and IAF helicopters as the road was blocked by snow at several points, making vehicular movement nearly impossible.
The Army used sniffer dogs to locate the missing workers trapped in the snow. The Army also used five helicopters and a civil chopper as part of the rescue operations.
A search operation using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) will be carried out on Sunday, along with thermal imaging cameras and victim location cameras to rescue the missing labourers.
CM Dhami Reviews Rescue Ops
Dhami received updates on the rescue operations from Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman and Chamoli District Magistrate on Saturday evening. He directed a comprehensive search and rescue operation to find the missing workers.
The four missing labourers were identified by the USDMA as Harmesh Chand from Himachal Pradesh, Ashok from Uttar Pradesh and Anil Kumar and Arvind Singh from Uttarakhand. On Saturday, the Army found eight containers, but no workers were found inside.
On Saturday, 24 workers were transferred from the Army hospital in Mana to Joshimath, among whom two workers were reportedly in critical condition and were referred to AIIMS Rishikesh.
One worker succumbed to his injuries in Joshimath, while three other workers rescued from Badrinath/Mana also lost their lives. The deceased were identified as Mohindra Pal and Jitendra Singh from Himachal Pradesh, Manjit Yadav from Uttar Pradesh and Alok Yadav from Uttarakhand, according to the USDMA.
The Chamoli Police released a list of names of 55 workers who got trapped in an avalanche in Mana of Chamoli district. According to the shared information, most of the workers hail from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
Chamoli Police releases a list of names of 55 workers who got trapped in avalanche in Mana of Chamoli district, Uttarakhand on 28th February.
As per State Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman, 33 workers have been rescued. There were 55 workers there.
(Pics: Chamoli… pic.twitter.com/SzMdrHLpCr
— ANI (@ANI) March 1, 2025
When Did The Avalanche Struck?
The avalanche struck the workers’ camp on Friday morning between 5:30 and 6:00 am, burying 55 workers alive in eight containers and a shed. These workers were part of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in the high mountains of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district.
The Indian military and paramilitary forces acted swiftly to rescue the trapped workers, starting the rescue operations immediately, with Chief Minister Dhami taking charge of operations.
Dhami assured that the government is fully committed to providing all possible assistance to those affected by this crisis, emphasising that the safety of the workers is the top priority. He also conducted an aerial survey of the site and spoke to PM Modi, who provided unwavering support to aid the rescue efforts.