Rescue operations are still underway after an avalanche in the Chamori region adjacent to Tibet locked in dozens of workers.
The Indian Army said at least four people were killed after an avalanche struck a highway construction site near the border with China, a day after the accident locked up dozens of workers.
The avalanche crashed into the ManaPas area in Uttarakhand, India’s Himalayas on Friday, trapping 55 workers under the snow.
By Saturday, rescuers had managed to pull 50 people, but four succumbed to injuries, according to an Army statement.
The search continues five missing workers, with multiple rescue teams and military helicopters deployed.
The Army did not specify the number of injured people, but said that people in dangerous conditions are given priority for evacuation.
Vashistha, a senior official from Chandrashekhar, confirmed that several workers were seriously injured and were undergoing treatment.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dami said some of the seriously injured people were taken to the Army Hospital Josimato for treatment.
“Efforts are underway to extract the remaining trapped workers safely as quickly as possible,” Dhami added to X.
Many of the trapped people were migrant workers working on a highway expansion project that would cover a 50km (31 miles) stretch from Mana to Mana Pass, the last Indian village before the Chinese border.
#indianarmy #suryacommand
Fourteen staff members were rescued from the avalanche site this morning by Indian troops and evacuated.
Search and rescue operations are continued for more than 24 hours. Three injured personnel have been evacuated from Mana after a slight rest in the weather…pic.twitter.com/bdcrnyjv84
– Suryacommand_ia (@suryacommand) March 1, 2025
Kamursh Kamal, a spokesman for the Indian and Tibet border police, said rescue efforts were hampered by heavy snowfall, difficult terrain and poor visibility.
Rescuers struggled to reach the workers through deep snow and snowstorms.
Police said the Army doctors on the site performed life-saving surgery on those seriously injured.
The avalanche on Friday occurred as parallel rescue operations continued on the seventh day in the south Indian town of Nagarkurulnoor.
The ecologically vulnerable Himalayan regions affected by global warming are prone to avalanches and flash floods.
In 2021, nearly 100 people died in Uttarakhand when a huge clump of glacier fell into the river and caused flash floods.
The devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013 killed 6,000 people, allowing them to ask for a review of the state’s development projects.
In 2022, an avalanche killed 27 trainee climbers in Uttarakhand, and a glacier that burst in 2021 caused flash floods, killing more than 200 people.
