Chamoli avalanche: Last missing worker’s body found, toll rises to 8, rescue mission comes to an end (2nd Lead)
Chamoli (Uttarakhand), March 2 (IANS) The death toll in the massive avalanche in the Mana area of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli climbed to eight, with the bodies of all the four missing workers found on Sunday, leading to the end of the rescue mission, officials said.
Local Brigade commander, Brigadier Mandeep Singh Dhillon said the body of the final missing worker was extricated from the ice on Sunday evening, taking the death toll to eight.
He said the defence forces team paid their heartfelt condolences to the families of the workers who risked their lives in inclement terrain, but fell victim to an uncontrollable natural disaster. He praised the synergy between the various agencies for the rescue of the bulk of the trapped workers.
Rescue efforts had resumed early on Sunday morning after clear weather allowed teams to intensify their search. Helicopters had also been deployed to assist in the mission.
Rescue teams had found the bodies of three more missing workers earlier in the day.
The avalanche, which struck Mana village early between 5.30 and 6 a.m. on Friday, buried the 55 Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers inside eight containers and a shed.
Swift and coordinated efforts by the Army, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) led to the rescue of 46 workers, while one had escaped on his own. Searches were on for the missing eight workers.
Earlier on Sunday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who had visited the Disaster Operations Centre and held a meeting with officials to oversee the ongoing rescue operations in Chamoli, said: “We are deploying advanced technology, including ground-penetrating radar (GPR), thermal imaging cameras, and victim-locating cameras, to aid in the search.”
“Today’s clear weather is in our favour, but high alert warnings have been issued for tomorrow. Those working in high-altitude areas have been advised to halt work due to the high possibility of snowfall and avalanches,” he said.
“Our priority is to locate the missing workers as soon as possible. The Army, ITBP, NDRF, district administration, disaster management teams, BRO, and the Air Force are working in coordination. The Health Department is also actively involved in the operations,” Dhami added.
The Chief Minister added that efforts are being made to restore communication and power in the affected areas.
The large-scale rescue operation, involving multiple agencies — including the Army, the ITBP, the NDRF, the SDRF, the BRO, the Health Department, the local administration, the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), and the Indian Air Force — continued despite challenges such as difficult terrain and extreme weather.
–IANS
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