Uttarakhand avalanche: 50 BRO workers rescued, 4 dead; Search continues for missing

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman on Sunday said that the ongoing rescue operation has made significant progress as weather conditions remained favorable.

“The weather has supported us. A total of 54 BRO workers were reported missing. Out of them, 50 were rescued, while four lost their lives. Four people are still unaccounted for, and search operations are under way. We remain hopeful of finding them soon”, he said.

Rescue teams continue to work on the ground, with efforts focused on locating the remaining missing individuals. Earlier today, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached the Disaster Control Room at IT Park, Dehradun, to review the ongoing rescue operation for the second consecutive day to rescue Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers in Mana, Chamoli.

#WATCH Uttarakhand: Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel carrying out rescue operations in avalanche-hit area of ​​Chamoli district.

4 people have died in the avalanche incident.

(Source: ITBP) pic.twitter.com/frrVj3pY5p

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On Saturday, the Uttarakhand government released a detailed report on the avalanche that occurred near the BRO camp at Mana Gate in Joshimath on February 28. Rescue and relief operations are ongoing at a war footing under the direction of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Meanwhile, providing an update on the situation, Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said, “Yesterday, doctors have confirmed four deaths. Earlier, the total number was 55, but now we have the information that one of the workers was on unauthorized leave, and he is home. The total number has reduced to 54, out of which four people are still missing.”

After the avalanche incident on Friday, the state government deployed extensive aerial rescue operations, including one MI-17 helicopter, three Cheetah helicopters, two Uttarakhand government helicopters, and an AIIMS Rishikesh air ambulance for evacuation efforts. The Chief Minister had also directed authorities to deploy additional helicopters if required 1.

Rescued individuals had been airlifted to Joshimath and received treatment at the Army Hospital. Nearly 200 personnel from disaster management forces, including the Army, ITBP, BRO, NDRF, SDRF, district administration, police, health department, and fire services, were engaged in relief efforts. (ANI)