Avalanche Tragedy in Uttarakhand: Eighth Victim Recovered After Subzero Rescue Operation
More than 50 workers were buried under snow and debris after a devastating avalanche struck a construction camp in Uttarakhand, India, near the border with Tibet. The rescue operation, conducted in subzero temperatures, has now concluded with the recovery of the eighth and final victim, the Indian Army confirmed.
The avalanche hit on Friday near Mana, a remote village in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, engulfing workers at a construction site. Initially, 55 workers were reported to be trapped, but the number was later revised to 54 after it was discovered that one worker had left the site safely before the disaster.
Rescuers managed to save 50 workers on Saturday, but tragically, four of them succumbed to their injuries. On Sunday, teams recovered the remaining victims, utilizing advanced tools such as drone-based detection systems and rescue dogs to locate the bodies amidst the snow and debris.
The workers were part of a migrant labor force involved in a highway expansion project spanning a 50-kilometer (31-mile) stretch from Mana to Mana Pass, the last Indian village before the Chinese border. They were housed in steel containers, which were deemed more resilient than tents to withstand the harsh Himalayan weather. However, the avalanche’s force proved overwhelming.
Anil, a 20-year-old construction worker, described the terrifying moment when the avalanche struck. "At first, we didn’t understand what was happening, but when we looked out the container window, we saw nothing but snow," he told AFP. He recalled how the containers began to collapse under the weight of the snow, leaving little hope of survival. "It felt like a dream," he added.
Vipan Kumar, another worker, recounted his harrowing experience of being buried under a thick layer of snow. "I heard a loud roar, like thunder… Before I could react, everything went dark," he told Tech Word News. Struggling for air, he thought, "This is the end."
The Himalayan region, increasingly vulnerable to the effects of global warming, is prone to avalanches and flash floods. This tragedy is the latest in a series of natural disasters to hit Uttarakhand. In 2021, a glacial burst triggered flash floods, killing nearly 100 people. In 2013, devastating monsoon floods and landslides claimed the lives of 6,000 people, prompting a reevaluation of development projects in the state. Earlier this year, an avalanche killed 27 climbers, and a glacier collapse in 2021 caused a flash flood that left over 200 dead.
The incident underscores the fragility of the Himalayan ecosystem and the mounting risks faced by those working in this treacherous terrain.
