Four die in avalanche, 47 rescued, 4 missing

Four construction workers died after 51 of them were pulled out following an avalanche at a campsite near the high-altitude border village of Mana in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district the day before, officials confirmed on Saturday, as rescue efforts continued for four others believed to be trapped in the snow-buried containers where they slept.

- Amit Bathla

The avalanche hit the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp between Mana and Mana Pass between 5.30am and 6am on Friday, burying 55 workers inside eight containers and a shed, according to the army. Thirty-three of them were rescued by Friday night, with the operation suspended as darkness fell.

"We have rescued 51 people so far from the avalanche hit site. Four of them have been declared dead. Our efforts to save the remaining are still on," said Lt Col Manish Srivastava, public relations officer, defence, Dehradun.

The desperate search for the remaining four continued in treacherous conditions at the remote site located at an elevation of approximately 3,200 metres. More than 200 personnel, six helicopters, and ground-penetrating radar equipment have been deployed in what officials describe as a "war footing" operation.

"Eighteen more workers were rescued on Saturday morning, operation.

"Eighteen more workers were rescued on Saturday morning, and 51 have been rescued so far.

They have been admitted to army hospitals. The search for four remaining is underway at a war footing," said chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who conducted an aerial inspection of the avalanche-hit site and reviewed rescue operations in Jyotirmath (previously Joshimath).