Strong winds and blocked roads hinder rescue mission for 42 workers caught in Uttarakhand avalanche.
More than 40 construction workers are trapped under the snow following an avalanche near India’s border with Tibet.
Blizzard-like conditions triggered the avalanche on Friday at a camp near the mountain village of Mana in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.
Initially, 57 workers, who were clearing snow from the camp, were caught in the disaster. Fifteen of them have been rescued, while 42 remain missing, according to Ridhim Agarwal, an official from the state’s disaster relief force.
Disaster response teams are attempting to reach the trapped workers at the high-altitude camp, which had been under an avalanche warning since Thursday evening, as reported by Indian media.
However, harsh weather conditions are complicating rescue efforts, said Deepam Seth, the state’s top police officer.
“It has been snowing with strong winds. … The roads are completely blocked. We have deployed snow cutters to open the road,” he told Indian broadcaster NDTV.
“Additional troops and equipment are being staged forward to the location,” announced the Indian army’s Central Command.
An avalanche struck a GREF Camp near Mana village in Garhwal Sector. A number of laborers are feared to be trapped. Indian Army’s IBEX BRIGADE swiftly launched rescue operations despite continuing heavy snowfall and minor avalanches. So far 10… pic.twitter.com/adVcAu9g4g
— SuryaCommand_IA (@suryacommand) February 28, 2025
Avalanches and landslides are common occurrences in the upper reaches of the Himalayas.
Scientists have shown that climate change is intensifying weather events, fueled by warmer oceans.
The accelerated pace of development in fragile Himalayan regions has also raised concerns about the consequences of deforestation and construction activities.
In 2021, nearly 100 people died in Uttarakhand when a massive chunk of a glacier collapsed into a river, triggering flash floods.
Devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013 claimed 6,000 lives, prompting calls for a review of development projects in the state.
Friday’s avalanche occurred as a simultaneous rescue operation continued for the seventh day in the southern Indian town of Nagarkurnool, where several workers remain trapped in a partially collapsed tunnel.
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