Rescue operation ends after avalanche kills 8 in Uttarakhand, India
A large avalanche buried 54 workers at a Border Roads Organisation construction site near Mana village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on February 28, 2025, killing eight. Rescue teams worked for over 60 hours in heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures, saving 46 survivors from collapsed metal shelters at an altitude of 3 200 m (10 500 feet) near India’s border with China.
Image credit: ITBP
A large avalanche struck a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) construction site near Mana village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on February 28, 2025, burying 54 workers.
The avalanche occurred at an elevation of approximately 3 200 meters (10 500 feet) near India’s border with China, collapsing a massive load of ice, snow, and rock onto eight metal containers used as temporary shelters by the workers.
A multi-agency rescue effort involving over 250 personnel from the Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was launched at the site. Despite heavy snowfall and frigid temperatures, 50 workers were rescued over the next 60 hours, with 46 surviving.
In the final phase of the search, teams deployed a drone-based intelligent buried object detection system airlifted from Delhi, along with avalanche rescue dogs. The last four missing bodies were recovered on March 2, bringing the death toll to eight.
Rescued workers were transported to Joshimath Military Hospital for medical treatment.
“I heard a loud thud and then the container in which I was sleeping tumbled probably half a kilometer downwards. I closed my eyes, thinking it was the end of my life, but a few minutes later, when the container got stuck beneath the mountain of snow, the other workers and I managed to open the door and crawl out of it.” Vijay Pal from Moradabad described his experience inside a tumbling container.
“After I realised that the avalanche had settled, I tried to move my body and managed to run. Had the Army post not been there at Mana, none of us would have survived,” Vipin Kumar from Himachal Pradesh recalled. He suffered a back injury after being buried in the snow for 15 minutes.
References:
1 Uttarakhand avalanche rescue: Four more bodies pulled out of the ice, death toll is 8 at the end of 60-hour rescue operation – THE HINDU – March 2, 2025
Rishika holds a Master’s in International Studies from Stella Maris College, Chennai, India, where she earned a gold medal, and an MCA from the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India. Previously, she served as a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. During her tenure, she contributed as a Junior Writer for Europe Monitor on the Global Politics website and as an Assistant Editor for The World This Week. Her work has also been published in The Hindu newspaper, showing her expertise in global affairs. Rishika is also a recipient of the Women Empowerment Award at the district level in Haryana, India, in 2022.
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