Twenty-four Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers are still trapped after an avalanche hit Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, officials said today. The incident took place near the border village of Mana, about five kilometres from the Badrinath temple.
There were a total of 57 workers of which 22 managed to escape the avalanche. Eleven BRO workers have been so far rescued and being treated.
Here are the first images of the rescue operation:
An avalanche struck a GREF Camp near Mana village in Garhwal Sector. A number of labourers are feared to be trapped. Indian Army’s IBEX BRIGADE swiftly launched rescue operations inspite of continuing heavy snowfall and minor avalanches. So far 10… pic.twitter.com/adVcAu9g4g
— SuryaCommand_IA (@suryacommand) February 28, 2025
Around 65 Indian Army and ITBP personnel are involved in the rescue operation.
Fifty-seven road construction workers were stationed in the BRO camp at the time of the incident, informed Deepam Seth, Uttarakhand’s Director General of Police, while speaking to NDTV.
“The rescue operation has been underway for the last two hours. The main challenge is the bad weather. It has been snowing with strong winds…The roads are completely blocked. We have deployed snow cutters to open the road,” added Mr Seth.
Five ambulances have been dispatched. However, owing to continuous snowfall and rain, movement of vehicles is restricted, informed Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari. “As soon as the weather improves, relief and rescue operations will be conducted on a large scale,” he added.
A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team has left Joshimath and is en route to the disaster site. 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.
Four teams of NDRF have left from Rudraprayag, Haridwar and Dehradun, said Mr Tiwari.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he is “saddened” by the incident and assured that relief and rescue operations are underway. Mr Dhami also held a meeting with the state’s top officials at the State Disaster Control Room to review the progress of the ongoing rescue operation.
In a social media post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Dhami wrote, “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
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Mr Dhami and assured: “all efforts to rescue the trapped personnel are being undertaken by utilising all available resources.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the priority is to “safely evacuate the people trapped in the accident”. Two teams of NDRF are also reaching the spot soon, he informed.
The Disaster Management Department has issued helpline numbers for anyone seeking information on the incident.
Mobile numbers: 8218867005, 9058441404
Telephone number: 0135-2664315
Toll Free number: 1070
Weather in Uttarakhand
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Uttarakhand which means moderate rain and heavy snowfall are predicted.
“Snowfall is expected in Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh and Uttarkashi. The weather may clear tomorrow, after 10 am,” said Bikram Singh, Director of Uttarakhand Meteorological Center.
Earlier this morning, the IMD 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.
