Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday visited the Disaster Control Room at IT Park, Dehradun, for the second consecutive day to review the ongoing rescue operation for Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers trapped in Mana, Chamoli.
The Uttarakhand government on Saturday 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 being conducted on a war footing under the direction of CM Dhami.
Providing an update on the situation, Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said, “Yesterday, doctors confirmed 4 deaths. Earlier, the total number of trapped workers was reported as 55, but we have now received information that one of the workers was on unauthorized leave and is safe at home. The total number of trapped individuals has been revised to 54, with 4 still missing.”
A senior officer reported on Saturday that search and rescue operations for the four missing BRO workers had been temporarily halted due to heavy snowfall and poor weather conditions in the avalanche-hit Mana area of Chamoli district.
According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), “Rescue operations have been temporarily halted due to heavy snowfall and bad weather conditions. Teams remain on standby to resume at the earliest opportunity. Further updates will follow.”
Following the avalanche incident on Friday, the state government launched extensive aerial rescue operations, deploying one MI-17 helicopter, three Cheetah helicopters, two Uttarakhand government helicopters, and an AIIMS Rishikesh air ambulance for evacuation efforts. CM Dhami also directed authorities to deploy additional helicopters if required.
Rescued individuals were 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, have been engaged in relief efforts.