Avalanche Hits Uttarakhand's Chamoli Near Badrinath, Nearly 50 Feared Trapped

The avalanche took place in the Mana village in Chamoli district near Badrinath. A rescue operation is underway.

A massive avalanche hit Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday, burying nearly 57 people in the Mana village. Out of these, around 10 of them were rescued, but the remaining are believed to be trapped, for which a rescue operation is underway.

A glacier broke in Badrinath after heavy snowfall in the district today, which triggered the avalanche near the Border Roads Organisation camp in Mana area.

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), district administration, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) teams are on the spot. Three to four ambulances have also been sent, but due to heavy snowfall, the rescue team is facing difficulties in reaching the spot.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami prayed for the safety of those trapped in the avalance and said that relief work was being carried out.

"Sad news was received about many workers being buried under avalanche during the construction work being carried out by BRO near Mana village in Chamoli district. Relief and rescue operations are being carried out by ITBP, BRO and other rescue teams. I pray to Lord Badri Vishal for the safety of all the labour brothers," he stated in a post on X. 

Chamoli DM Says Movement Difficult Due To Active Snowfall

Since the glacier broke near a workers' camp on the border road near Badrinath, the workers engaged in road construction and snow-clearing were trapped. The extent of damage is not yet clear.

Chamoli DM Sandeep Tiwari said: "There is active rainfall and snowfall activities there. So, we are unable to deploy heli-services. Movement is difficult. Since satellite phones and other such equipment are not available there, we have not been able to have a clear communication with them."

He added that the authorities had not received any official information of any casualty. "We are receiving full support from higher authorities. We hope that our team will reach there and rescue them safely," he said.

The condition of the workers who have been rescued are said to be in critical condition, Police Headquarters spokesperson IG Nilesh Anand Bharne told news agecy ANI.