Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], March 1: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the injured Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers who were rescued from the Mana Avalanche site on Saturday. He provided updates on the ongoing rescue operations and reassured that efforts are intensifying to save the remaining trapped workers.
“ARMY, NDRF, ITBP, and district administration personnel are working together for the rescue operations. Due to heavy snowfall, all roads connecting the site have been blocked. We are making every effort to rescue those still trapped as quickly as possible. The 14 workers rescued today are safe, and they are being brought to Joshimath for treatment,” CM Dhami told ANI.
The rescued workers have been transported to Joshimath for medical treatment at the Army Hospital. CM Dhami also met with Army personnel and officials to receive updates on the ongoing rescue and relief operations.
As of Saturday morning, 47 out of the 55 trapped BRO workers have been rescued. The rescue teams, including the Army, NDRF, ITBP, and district administration, continue to work tirelessly to rescue the eight remaining workers still trapped under snow.
Four Army helicopters have been deployed to assist in the rescue efforts. According to Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari, the helicopters have arrived with support from both the Centre and the State governments. He confirmed that, of the 55 people trapped in the avalanche near Mana Village, 47 have been rescued, and the remaining eight are still being searched for.
The district magistrate further added, “We have brought seven of the rescued workers to Joshimath Hospital, and they are under treatment. Three of them are stable. We hope that the remaining people will also be rescued soon.”
The avalanche struck on Friday, trapping workers of the Border Roads Organisation under snow. Rescue operations, involving the NDRF, Indian Army, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police, continue in full swing to locate and rescue the remaining trapped workers.
The Uttarakhand government has issued the following helpline numbers for public assistance:
Mobile No: 8218867005, 9058441404
Telephone No: 0135 2664315
Toll-Free No: 1070