By Kashifa Wisal
In Mana, Uttarakhand’s “first” village, an avalanche struck a Border Roads Organization (BRO) project site beneath an area of Chamoli district, trapping several workers in the snow. Authorities verified that 33 of the 55 workers had already been rescued as of Friday night. The remaining 22 are still ongoing.
The incident took place between Mana village and Mana Pass, on the Indo-Tibetan border. The BRO workers were building the road in the region when the avalanche struck. Officials said the workers had been hired by a contractor for the road construction work.
Rescue operations are underway in extremely dangerous conditions, poor visibility, driven by an ongoing snowstorm. The rescue operation is being carried out with the support of several agencies, including the Army’s Garhwal 9 Brigade, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force, and the BRO. Four teams from the National Disaster Response Force were additionally sent from Rudraprayag, Haridwar, and Dehradun to assist with the rescue.
The situation is tense, with reports of 22 workers still trapped. Eleven workers have been rescued and are undergoing treatment for injuries. Five ambulances are on site; however, vehicle movement is restricted by continuous snowfall and rain. Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari assured that large-scale rescue operations would begin as soon as the weather conditions improved.
State Disaster Response Force team from Joshimath is in action on clearing roadblocks, notably in the Lambagad stretch. The Army was called to help to clear the blocked route. SDRF’s high-altitude rescue team remains on standby, waiting for a helicopter to take off as soon as the weather permits. According to Ridhim Agarwal, Inspector General of Police, SDRF, drone operations that were to have been undertaken are now not possible due to heavy snowfall.
“Private and IAF helicopters are expected to take part in rescue efforts Saturday, weather permitting”, added N.K. Joshi, District Disaster Management Officer, Chamoli, with the Gauchar Strip having been readied for the same.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed concern regarding the incident and lamented the tragedy. He assured the public that appropriate efforts were on towards relief and rescue. “I pray to Lord Badri Vishal for the safety of all the labour brothers,” Dhami wrote on a social media page. Relying on the newest updates from the situation, Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh assured that every effort and resource would be utilized for the rescue mission, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah stressed the priority of safely evacuating the personnel trapped.
While rescue continues, the officials are positive and hopeful that the rest of the workers would be reached as soon as the weather conditions permitted rescue.