An avalanche hit snow-capped Mana at 7:17 am this morning, five kilometres from the Badrinath shrine in Uttarakhand, trapping 35 Border Roads Organisation workers. Twenty-two workers managed to run to safety when the avalanche came, and are now getting aid at the Army camp.
57 workers were struck when the avalanche came but 22 managed to run to safety and have been taken to the Army camps, the search for the remaining 35 was launched and the operation is still on.
Twenty-four workers are still missing, but 11 have been rescued and sent to the Army camp near Mana, a village bordering Tibet. The Army’s Surya Command, which operates in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, said, “The IBEX BRIGADE swiftly launched rescue operations despite continuing heavy snowfall and minor avalanches.”
At least 60-65 people are involved in the rescue operation which is taking place at 13,000 feet.
57 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.
