14 More Rescued From Uttarakhand Avalanche Site, CM Dhami Meets Injured BRO Workers In Joshimath— Updates

As many as fourteen civilians were rescued on Saturday morning from the Uttarakhand avalanche site in the high-altitude Mana village in Chamoli district after the weather cleared up. The helicopter service has also resumed. With today’s rescue, 47 people out of the 55 trapped have been rescued. Efforts are underway to rescue the remaining eight who remain trapped under snow. 

The injured Border Road Organisation workers were airlifted to Joshimath for treatment at the Army hospital. Uttarakhand CM Dhami on Saturday also visited Army hospital in Joshimath where he met the injured workers brought for treatment after being rescued from Mana. 

Here’s what has happened so far today:

Indian Army conducted a rescue operation through out the night and successfully managed to rescue 14 more civilians by Saturday morning, Indian Army’s Brig MS Dhillon said. He also said that they are being taken for treatment, adding that one of them is critical.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami said that he briefed Prime Minister Modi about the current situation in Uttarakhand and confirmed that 14 more people were rescued.

“We are trying to rescue the (BRO) workers as soon as possible. I had a telephonic conversation with PM Modi, and he has assured all the possible help… The PMO is in constant touch with us. 14 more people have been rescued, and all are doing well, rest will be rescued soon,” he said.

CM Dhami also conducted an aerial survey of the areas affected by the avalanche in Mana, Chamoli today. He met the Army personnel and officials, and took an update on the rescue and relief operation. Chamoli DM Sandeep Tiwari said: “33 people have been rescued, three were critically injured, and they were being treated at Mana’s Army Hospital, and today they (injured) have been brought to Joshimath’s Army hospital.”

Three injured people were airlifted to Military Hospital in Joshimath after the helicopter services resumed today.

Providing an update on the rescue operation today, Uttarakhand CM Dhami tweeted: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the phone and took information about the rescue operation being carried out to safely evacuate the workers trapped in Mana of Chamoli district. He also took detailed information on the situation of rain and snowfall in the state. During this, the Prime Minister assured that the central government will provide all possible assistance to deal with any emergency.”

Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman on Saturday said that the rescue and relief operations were taking place swiftly and that CM Dhami was monitoring the operations.

The snowslide, which buried the BRO camp between Mana and Badrinath, rolled down early on Friday morning, trapping 55 workers on the site.

According to a list released by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority, the trapped labourers belonged to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir, among other states.