A team from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in Joshimath on Sunday departed for Badrinath Dham, equipped with a victim locating camera and a thermal imaging camera, to search for workers still trapped following the avalanche near the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp in Mana village, Chamoli district, on February 28.
On the second day of rescue operations, the SDRF communication team also carried a manpack repeater to aid in the search and rescue efforts for the missing BRO workers.
According to Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari, updated information shows that out of the 54 BRO workers initially reported trapped, 50 have been rescued. Sadly, four workers have lost their lives, and four remain missing. Tiwari clarified that the total number of trapped workers was revised from 55 to 54 after it was confirmed that one worker was on unauthorized leave and safe at home.
To enhance the search operation, the Indian Air Force airlifted a drone-based intelligent buried object detection system for deployment in locating the missing workers.
Following instructions from Inspector General of Police Ridhim Agarwal, an expert SDRF team was sent to the incident site via helicopter from Sahastradhara, equipped with a Victim Locating Camera (VLC) and a Thermal Imaging Camera. The search operation will heavily rely on these advanced tools to locate the missing individuals.
Injured BRO workers were airlifted from the Army helipad in Joshimath for further treatment at the Joshimath Army Hospital. One individual with a spinal injury was transferred to AIIMS Rishikesh via air ambulance for specialized care.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday visited the Disaster Control Room in Dehradun for the second consecutive day to review the ongoing rescue efforts.
Rescue and relief operations involve nearly 200 personnel from multiple agencies, including the Army, ITBP, BRO, NDRF, SDRF, district administration, police, health department, and fire services, all working tirelessly to bring the situation under control and provide necessary aid.