Dehradun (Uttarakhand), March 2: The Army recovered two more bodies on Sunday from the snow-covered site of the avalanche that struck a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp near Mana village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. With this, the death toll has climbed to five, while rescue teams continue efforts to locate the last remaining worker who is still missing.
According to PRO (Defence) Dehradun, 53 of the 54 workers trapped under the snow after the February 28 morning avalanche have been rescued. Search teams, aided by thermal imaging cameras and helicopters, resumed operations on Sunday morning after snowfall had temporarily halted efforts the previous evening.
Providing an update, Lt. Col. Manish Shrivastava, PRO (Defence) Dehradun, said, “53 out of 54 workers have been rescued. One person is still missing, and the search and rescue operation is ongoing.”
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed that multiple agencies, including the Army, ITBP, Air Force, NDRF, and SDRF, are working together to locate the missing worker. Authorities are employing advanced equipment such as ground-penetrating radar, thermal imaging cameras, and victim-locating cameras in their search. While weather conditions in the region are improving, the high risk of further avalanches has led to a temporary suspension of work in high-altitude areas as a precautionary measure.
Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari clarified earlier today that while initial reports listed 55 workers at the camp, it was later confirmed that one individual was on unauthorised leave and safe at home, reducing the count to 54.
The Indian Air Force deployed a Mi-17 helicopter to airlift a drone-based Intelligent Buried Object Detection System to aid search operations. Injured BRO workers are being evacuated for treatment at the Joshimath Army Hospital, with IAF Cheetah helicopters actively participating in rescue efforts since Saturday.
Rescue teams remain focused on locating the last missing worker as challenging weather conditions continue to pose hurdles in the operation.
