Rescuers searching for at least 25 people after avalanche in Indian mountain state

Heavy snowfall recently struck the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Himalayan region, triggering an avalanche that has left at least 25 people trapped under the snow. Rescue operations are underway with urgency, and authorities are hoping to locate all missing individuals as quickly as possible.

The avalanche occurred in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, near the Tibetan border and less than 5 kilometers from the Hindu shrine of Badrinath. A road is located near the site of the incident, which is used by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually to visit the Badrinath temple.

According to a statement from the Indian Army, the avalanche struck a labor camp of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), burying eight containers and one shed under the snow, which housed 57 workers at the time. Five containers have been located thus far, and the search for the remaining three containers is ongoing.

Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari told ANI on Friday evening that at least 32 workers had been rescued, and there were no reports of casualties so far. However, he also stated that rainfall and snowfall have limited mobility, and helicopter services have been affected, posing additional challenges to the rescue efforts.

The Indian Meteorological Department predicted "heavy to very heavy" snowfall in Uttarakhand on Friday, with snowfall amounts of at least 12 centimeters, after which the snowfall would "significantly" decrease. Two teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also faced delays in reaching the workers' location, senior NDRF official Mohsen Shahdi told Reuters.

Uttarakhand, located in the Himalayas, is becoming increasingly prone to flash floods and landslides, which are linked to rising global temperatures. Environmentalists are calling for a review of the state's power projects and other development work to mitigate environmental risks. In February 2021, a glacier broke in the state, killing at least 80 people and leaving more than 200 missing. An avalanche in the region in 2022 resulted in 16 fatalities.