At least four people have died and several others remain missing after a devastating avalanche struck Uttarakhand’s Mana village near the India-Tibet border, authorities confirmed on Friday.
A massive rescue operation is underway after the avalanche buried a group of road construction workers in the remote Himalayan region. According to the Indian Army, around 50 people were pulled from the snow and debris, but four succumbed to their injuries.
Search Continues for Missing Workers
Rescue teams are racing against time to locate five people still unaccounted for. Helicopters have been deployed as part of the search effort in the snow-covered terrain of the northern Indian state.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami assured that authorities were working tirelessly to assist those affected.
“Rescue teams are continuously engaged in relief efforts following the avalanche,” Dhami said, emphasizing the government’s commitment to providing all possible support to the victims and their families.
Challenging Rescue Conditions
Dramatic footage posted on social media by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) showed rescuers battling extreme weather, carrying survivors on stretchers through deep snow as fresh snowfall continued to blanket the region.
Gaurav Kunwar, a former council member of Mana village, described the affected area as a “migratory zone”, where no permanent residents live.
“Only labourers working on border roads stay there in the winter,” he told BBC News. “There’s also some army presence in the area. We’ve heard it has been raining for two days. The road workers were in a camp when the avalanche struck.”
Weather Warnings Issued
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had warned of heavy snowfall and rainfall across northern states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir.
An orange alert—indicating the likelihood of severe weather—was issued for multiple districts in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, raising concerns over further avalanches.
With harsh winter conditions persisting in the Himalayas, authorities fear that the ongoing rescue efforts could be further complicated. The search for the missing workers continues.
