Rescue ops underway after Chamoli avalanche in Uttarakhand Photo: PTI Rescue ops underway after Chamoli avalanche in Uttarakhand Photo: PTI

Fifty-five Border Roads Organisation (BRO) labourers were trapped under several feet of snow in the high-altitude after an avalanche hit Mana village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday and Sandeep Tewari, DC Chamoli, said that so far 50 of them were saved only five are yet to be rescued. An Army spokesperson told media that four out of the 50 rescued workers have died.

Rescuers resumed the search operation for the trapped labourers on Saturday morning as the weather cleared up. The Army spokesperson told PTI that six helicopters, including three of the Indian Army Aviation, two of the IAF and one civil copter hired by the Army, are engaged in the rescue operations.

A snowslide trapped the 55 labourers at the BRO camp between Mana and Badrinath on Friday and till earlier reports, 33 of them were rescued. Rain and snowfall hampered the rescue efforts and the operation was suspended as the night fell.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the affected area and directed officials to speed up the rescue operation.

"Took stock of the situation by conducting an aerial survey of the avalanche area near Mana in Chamoli district," Dhami said in a post on X.

He said he instructed officials to ensure that the relief and rescue work is conducted quickly and effectively.

"Our government is working promptly for the safety of the affected workers," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Dhami and assured him of full support.

Reportedly, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta GOC-in C Central Command and Lt Gen D G Mishra GOC Uttar Bharat area have reached the avalanche site to monitor the rescue operations.

Lt Gen Sengupta said movement by road is impossible since it is clogged with snow. The Badrinath-Joshimath highway is blocked at 15-20 places, he said.

There were eight containers at the BRO camp, of which five have been traced while three are missing. A large number of the labourers rescued so far were found in the five containers, he said.

District Disaster Management Officer N K Joshi said Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel based in Mana resumed the rescue operation in the morning.

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A let-up in rain and snowfall can help speed up efforts to trace the 22 labourers who have been trapped under the snow for more than 24 hours now.

Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari told PTI that 11 of the rescued labourers have been brought to the Army hospital in Jyotirmath. Of them, one is critical,7jogos cassino 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.

Rescue Mission So Far

According to a list released by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority, the trapped labourers are from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir, among other states.

During the 'Jivitputrika' festival, women fast for the well-being of their children and both take holy dips.

The list has 10 labourers' names, without mentioning the states they belong to.

Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said on Friday that the task is challenging as there is seven feet of snow near the avalanche site.

More than 65 personnel are engaged in the rescue operations, he said.

Located three kilometres from Badrinath, Mana is the last village on the India-Tibet border at a height of 3kebet,200 metres.