At least 41 road workers are unaccounted for following a devastating avalanche that struck a camp in Mana, a remote border region of Uttarakhand, India, officials reported. As rescue efforts continue, a police spokesperson, IG Nilesh Anand Bharne, confirmed that 16 workers have been successfully rescued and transported to a nearby army camp for medical attention.
The avalanche occurred in an area managed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) amidst adverse weather conditions. Senior district official Sandeep Tiwari stated that there are currently no confirmed fatalities, though the situation remains precarious.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took to social media platform X to announce that rescue teams from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, BRO, and additional emergency services are mobilized for the operation. However, challenging terrain and ongoing adverse weather complicate the rescue efforts.
Colonel Ankur Mahajan of the BRO shared that those who have been rescued are receiving treatment, yet the severity of their injuries remains unknown. Witness accounts suggest that Mana is a seasonal work area, inhabited typically by laborers during winter months, with the local population absent year-round. Reports indicate that heavy rain has plagued the area for two days leading up to the avalanche.
The India Meteorological Department had earlier issued warnings of heavy rainfall and potential snowfall across the northern states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir, raising alarms about weather-related hazards. Orange alerts are currently in effect for several counties due to forecasts of imminent snowfall.
