Uttarakhand avalanche: One labourer dies, 49 rescued; search on for remaining 5

The avalanche hit the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp between Mana and Badrinath between 5:30 am and 6 am on Friday, burying 55 workers inside eight containers and a shed

Dehradun: A labourer died and 49 were pulled out alive from the snow that engulfed a BRO camp in the high-altitude Mana village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district as rescuers raced against time to find survivors on Saturday. Five workers remain trapped. Thirty-three labourers were rescued by Friday night.

The avalanche hit the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp between Mana and Badrinath between 5:30 am and 6 am on Friday, burying 55 workers inside eight containers and a shed, according to the Army. Rain and snowfall hampered the rescue efforts on Friday and the operation was suspended as the night fell. As the weather cleared up on Saturday, choppers joined the operation.

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Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the affected area and directed officials to speed up the rescue operation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Dhami and assured him of full support.

District Disaster Management Officer NK Joshi said Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel based in Mana resumed the rescue operation in the morning. A labourer died at the avalanche site, sources said. Officials said 49 labourers have been rescued alive and a search is underway for the remaining five.

Eleven of the rescued labourers have been brought to the Army hospital in Jyotirmath. Of them, one is critical, some have fractures and others have minor injuries. Vitals of all of them except one are stable and necessary investigations are being done by specialist doctors at the hospital, Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said.

The weather is turning bad again and could slow down the rescue operation. However, Army helicopters are making sorties and if the weather remains favourable, we will soon be able to find the remaining eight labourers, he said.