Indian Army concludes search and rescue ops in Chamoli avalanche; 46 rescued, 8 lives lost

Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], March 2 (ANI): The Indian Army concluded the search and rescue operations at the Mana area of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand on Sunday. These operations were part of the relief efforts to rescue the trapped Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers after the avalanche on February 28.

According to the Indian Army, 46 out of the 54 BRO workers were rescued and are undergoing treatment, while 8 people lost their lives in the avalanche.

"Search and rescue operations at the Mana Avalanche site concluded today with 46 workers being rescued successfully, who are currently being given necessary medical treatment. However, despite relentless efforts, day and night, through inclement conditions by the search and rescue parties, 8 lives could not be saved," posted the Army on X.
"The Indian Army extends heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of those who lost their lives in this tragedy. We also salute the indomitable courage of all personnel of the Border Roads Organisation, who are our partners in developing remote areas of our country," read the post by the Army on X.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday offered his condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased BRO workers who lost their lives in the avalanche.
The Chief Minister also prayed for the swift recovery of the BRO workers injured in the avalanche.
Speaking to ANI, CM Dhami said, "The rescue operation was going on continuously for the last two days, and the entire rescue is almost complete. The 46 people who were found in it have all been shifted from Badrinath to Joshimath, and some from Joshimath to AIIMS Rishikesh."
"May all of them recover soon and get completely cured, and some people are no longer among us. We pray to God to give peace to their souls and give strength to their family members to bear the loss," said CM Dhami.
Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari also spoke to ANI about the development in the avalanche incident and said, "The operation was completed at 5:30 pm today, and out of the 54 Border Roads Organisation workers who were trapped there, 46 have been rescued safely, and there have been 8 casualties."
"The district administration got full support from the central government and the state government, due to which this operation was successful. The bodies will be handed over to their families after completing the legal formalities," he said.
The body of the eighth worker missing in the Mana (Chamoli) avalanche incident was recovered by the Army on Sunday afternoon during the ongoing search operation, officials said.

Earlier in the day, three more bodies were found as rescue teams continued searching for the last missing worker.
"All 54 persons have now been rescued or recovered. This marks the culmination of the Mana Village Rescue Operation," said Lt Col Manish Shrivastava, PRO (Defence), Dehradun.
According to officials, the search operation resumed on Sunday morning to locate four missing workers believed to be trapped under the snow after an avalanche hit a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) project site in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on February 28.
With this, the death toll had risen to eight. Four workers had died on Saturday.
The bodies of the BRO workers retrieved from the avalanche site were airlifted today and brought to the Joshimath military hospital, officials said.
A total of 54 workers were buried when the avalanche struck on the morning of February 28. Army, ITBP, Air Force, NDRF, and SDRF personnel conducted rescue operations over the past two days.
The SDRF team continued searching the site using victim-locating and thermal imaging cameras.
A Drone-Based Intelligent Buried Object Detection System was brought to Joshimath today and deployed at the avalanche site in Mana to assist in the search operation.
Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman stated earlier that favourable weather conditions aided the search and rescue efforts.
On Saturday, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, GOC-in-C, Central Command, and Lt Gen DG Misra, GOC, Uttar Bharat Area, visited the avalanche site to oversee and coordinate rescue operations.
Lt Gen Sengupta stated that specialised reconnaissance radars, UAVs, quadcopters, and avalanche rescue dogs were deployed to locate survivors.
Helicopters were continuously used to transport essential equipment and resources and to evacuate the injured. (ANI)