Uttarakhand: 32 road construction workers trapped in Chamoli rescued, says district magistrate

Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], February 28 (ANI): A total of 32 Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers have been rescued after being trapped under snow during an avalanche that struck near Mana village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, officials said late on Friday. 

Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said, "Out of 57 workers trapped in the avalanche, 32 workers have been rescued."

Uttarakhand Disaster Management Department said that rescue work is being undertaken on a war footing.

" By 5:00 pm, 32 people had been rescued safely. The process of evacuating the remaining 25 people is in progress. Relief and rescue work is going on on a war footing to rescue people trapped in the avalanche 6 km ahead of Badrinath Dham in Chamoli district," Disaster Management Department said.

The Uttarakhand government on Friday issued helpline numbers for people to get any assistance or information related to the avalanche. 

According to the Uttarakhand government's Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), people are encouraged to contact the helpline numbers, which are being operated through the state emergency operation centre of the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority.

The Uttarakhand government has issued the following helpline numbers: Mobile No: 8218867005, 9058441404; Telephone No: 0135 2664315; Toll Free No: 1070.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to chief minister Dhami and assured that the government's priority was to safely evacuate the people trapped in the incident.

"Spoke to Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Dhami ji, DG ITBP, and DG NDRF regarding the glacier burst in Chamoli, Uttarakhand. Our priority is to safely evacuate the people trapped in the accident," he said.

Shah stated that the local administration is fully engaged in rescue operations. "Two teams of NDRF are also reaching the spot soon," he added.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that he also spoke to Dhami regarding the situation and assured that local army units are providing all possible assistance to those affected.

In a post on X, he said, "An unfortunate avalanche has occurred in the Mana area of Joshimath (Uttarakhand) today, impacting the GREF camp of BRO. Spoke to CM Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding the situation. The administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected.

"Rescue efforts by local Army units are also underway. All efforts to rescue the trapped personnel are being undertaken by utilising all available resources," he added.

Dhami said personnel from ITBP and the Army are engaged in the rescue operation. (ANI)