Uttarakhand Avalanche: 42 workers trapped, 15 rescued so far

Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], February 28 (ANI): As of now, 15 workers from the Border Roads Organization (BRO) have been rescued from the avalanche near Mana village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, officials said.
According to Uttarakhand police, 15 workers have been rescued so far, while 42 are still missing.
"On February 28, 2025, regarding the avalanche incident near Mana, close to Shri Badrinath Dham, Police Inspector General of SDRF, Mrs. Ridhim Agarwal, informed that a total of 57 workers from the Border Roads Organization (BRO) were affected in the avalanche near Mana village, Chamoli district," a Uttarakhand police release said.
"A team from SDRF has already left for Joshimath. Due to road blockage in Lambagad, the process of opening the route in coordination with the Army is underway," it added.
Police said that a team has been kept on alert at the Sahastradhara Helipad as well.
"The exact coordinates of the area have been obtained. As soon as the weather improves, SDRF's High-Altitude Rescue Team will be dropped at the nearest available location via helicopter," the release further reads.
SDRF and the district administration are coordinating with the BRO and the Army.
Police Inspector General of SDRF, Ridhim Agarwal, mentioned that an SDRF drone team is also on standby.
She added that due to heavy snowfall, drone operations have not been possible so far.

श्री बद्रीनाथ धाम के पास माणा में हुई हिमस्खलन की घटना के सम्बन्ध में रेस्क्यू अपडेट ।#UttarakhandPolice #RescueOperation pic.twitter.com/ikC9ykdSem

— Uttarakhand Police (@uttarakhandcops) February 28, 2025

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding the avalanche in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.
The Home Minister also spoke to the DG of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the DG of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) regarding the evacuation efforts.
In a post on X, Shah assured that the government's priority is 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.
A massive avalanche hit Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday morning.
As many as 57 workers engaged in road construction got trapped under huge blocks of snow after a massive avalanche struck Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday. The construction workers from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp were working in the border area of Mana village in Badrinath, officials said. The BRO is a road construction executive force that provides support to and is a part of the Indian Armed Forces. (ANI)