An avalanche hit Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, reportedly burying 57 workers in the Mana village, close to the Indo-Tibetan border. 15 of the workers have been rescued and sent to the army camp near Mana in critical condition. The rescue operation is underway.
The incident occurred 3 km ahead of Badrinath Dham, near the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp. The workers were engaged in road construction.
Three to four ambulances have been sent to the location but owing to heavy snowfall, there has been a delay, BRO (Border Roads Organisation) Executive Engineer CR Meena told news agency ANI. 60-65 people are involved in the rescue operation.
A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team has left Joshimath. The army has been contacted to clear the route in Lambagad, which is currently impassable due to road blockage. Another team is on alert at Sahastradhara helipad. As soon as the weather conditions improve, the high-altitude rescue team of SDRF will be dropped by helicopter at the nearest place.
The SDRF drone team is also ready. However, due to heavy snowfall, drone operations are impossible right now, informed Ridhim Agarwal, Inspector General of Police, SDRF.
Saddened by the avalanche, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I pray to Lord Badri Vishal for the safety of all the labour brothers.”
जनपद चमोली में माणा गांव के निकट BRO द्वारा संचालित निर्माण कार्य के दौरान हिमस्खलन की वजह से कई मजदूरों के दबने का दुःखद समाचार प्राप्त हुआ।
ITBP, BRO और अन्य बचाव दलों द्वारा राहत एवं बचाव कार्य संचालित किया जा रहा है।
भगवान बदरी विशाल से सभी श्रमिक भाइयों के सुरक्षित होने की…
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) February 28, 2025
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for several hilly regions, including Uttarakhand, predicting very heavy rain (up to 20 cm) till Friday late night.
Thunderstorm with Lightning, Hail and Gusty winds (30-40 kmph) likely over Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh and with heavy rainfall (upto 12 cm) over Punjab and with very heavy rainfall (upto 20cm) over Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand upto late night hours of 28th February 2025.… pic.twitter.com/tSMbBn67ho
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) February 28, 2025
The IMD has predicted the impact of heavy rain in the form of localised flooding of roads, waterlogging in low-lying areas and closure of underpasses mainly in urban areas. Occasional reduction in visibility due to heavy rainfall, an increased travel time due to traffic disruption and minor damage to unpaved roads are expected.
