Uttarakhand Avalanche: Rescue operation concludes as bodies of 4 remaining missing workers found, death toll rises to 8

The officials on Sunday (March 2) pulled out bodies of the last four missing labourers from the avalanche-hit Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp in Chamoli in Uttarakhand, concluding a gruelling 60-hour rescue operation. With this, the death toll in the incident rose to eight. 

The army doctors informed that the 46 workers who were rescued alive on Saturday have been admitted to the military hospital in Jyotirmath. According to Lt Col DS Maldhya, two of them have been referred to AIIMS, Rishikesh, while three remain in critical condition.

The discovery of the final missing worker’s body marked the official end of the large-scale rescue effort, Defence PRO Lt Col Manish Shrivastava said. “Of the 54 labourers trapped after the avalanche, 46 have been rescued alive, while eight tragically lost their lives,” Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari informed. Rescue teams recovered four bodies on Saturday and the remaining four on Sunday.

CM Dhami expresses grief, lauds rescuers

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep sorrow over the loss of eight lives and praised the relentless efforts of rescue teams, including local authorities, the Army, SDRF, and other agencies. 

“Despite extremely challenging conditions, they showed unparalleled bravery and commitment, which is truly commendable. I salute their courage and dedication,” Dhami said.

The Chief Minister assured that proper medical care was being provided to the injured, and the process to hand over the bodies to the families was underway. Additionally, he directed officials to create a mechanism for avalanche monitoring to minimise future losses.

Uttarakhand Avalanche 

The avalanche struck the BRO camp located between Mana and Badrinath on Friday, burying 54 workers inside eight containers and a shed. Initial reports suggested 55 workers were missing, but one had gone home on unauthorised leave and was safe.

More than 200 personnel from the disaster management authority, ITBP, BRO, NDRF, SDRF, IAF, health department, and district administration participated in the rescue. Helicopters, sniffer dogs, and thermal imaging technology were deployed to expedite the search efforts.

Located just three kilometers from Badrinath, Mana village is the last Indian settlement along the India-Tibet border, situated at an altitude of 3,200 metres.