Chamoli avalanche: Death toll rises to 7, one still missing

Chamoli: The death toll from the avalanche in Uttarakhand’s Mana region has climbed to seven after rescue teams recovered three more bodies on Sunday. One worker remains missing as search operations continue.

With this latest development, the total number of recovered individuals has reached 53, including the seven workers who were found dead. The rescue mission, led by multiple agencies, has been ongoing since the avalanche struck late Friday night, initially trapping 55 workers. Swift and coordinated efforts by the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) successfully rescued 46 workers. However, four lost their lives, and four remained missing until today’s recovery efforts.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Disaster Operations Centre earlier in the day to assess the ongoing rescue efforts in Chamoli. He assured that advanced technology, including ground-penetrating radar (GPR), thermal imaging cameras, and victim-locating cameras, was being deployed to aid in the search for the remaining worker.

With improved weather conditions on Sunday morning, rescue operations intensified, assisted by helicopters. However, authorities remain cautious, as high alert warnings have been issued for the following day due to the possibility of heavy snowfall and further avalanches. Workers in high-altitude areas have been advised to halt operations as a precautionary measure.

“Our priority is to locate the missing worker as soon as possible. The Army, ITBP, NDRF, district administration, disaster management teams, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and the Air Force are working in coordination. The Health Department is also actively engaged in the operations,” Chief Minister Dhami stated.

Efforts are also underway to restore communication and power in affected areas. Several villages have been cut off, and arrangements are being made to ensure food supplies reach those stranded. Power disruptions affected five blocks, but partial restoration has been achieved. The avalanche site, located near Mana, suffered complete communication blackouts, and efforts to restore connectivity are in progress.

The avalanche struck between 5:30 and 6:00 AM on Friday, burying 55 BRO workers inside eight containers and a shed. The large-scale rescue operation involves multiple agencies, including the Army, ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, BRO, Health Department, local administration, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), and the Indian Air Force.

Despite extreme weather and challenging terrain, rescue teams continue to work relentlessly. While no additional casualties have been reported beyond the confirmed fatalities, authorities remain focused on locating the final missing worker.

With IANS inputs