Eight die as avalanche rescue operation ends

The rescue operation following Friday's avalanche near Mana village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district concluded on Sunday with the recovery of four more bodies, bringing the death toll to eight, officials confirmed.

- Amit Bathla

"The rescue teams recovered bodies of four missing people. It takes the death toll to eight.

With the recovery of the last missing worker's body at 5.45pm, the search and rescue operations in Mana Avalanche was also concluded," said Lt Col Manish Srivastava, public relations officer, Defence, Dehradun.

Authorities on Sunday revised the total number of border road construction workers affected by the avalanche to 54 from the previously reported 55, after learning that one worker, Sunil Kumar, had left the accident site before the avalanche struck the campsite.

The massive avalanche hit the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp between Mana and Mana Pass between 5.30am and 6am on Friday, burying workers inside eight containers and a shed. The workers were engaged in a strategic road project connecting Mana, the last Indian village, to Mana Pass on the China border.

Of the eight deceased, four were from Uttar Pradesh, two from Himachal Pradesh, and two from Uttarakhand. Officials said the bodies of seven victims have been dispatched to their respective places.