At least four workers have lost their lives in an avalanche that swept over a construction crew working on a highway near the mountainous border between India and Tibet, the Indian army reported on Saturday. This tragic incident occurred at Mana Pass in the northern state of Uttarakhand on Friday, where initially 55 construction workers were trapped beneath the snow. Rescue teams managed to extract 50 individuals, but unfortunately, four of them succumbed to their injuries, according to an official army statement.
Efforts are ongoing to locate the five workers who remain unaccounted for, with various rescue teams and military helicopters diligently combing the area of the incident. The statement did not specify the total number of injured workers, but it emphasized that those in need were receiving priority evacuation. Administrative official Chandrashekhar Vashistha mentioned that some workers had sustained serious injuries and were transported to hospitals for treatment.
Many of the workers caught in the avalanche were migrant laborers engaged in a project to widen and surface a 50-kilometer (31-mile) highway stretch from Mana, the last village before reaching the border at Mana Pass. This region marks the frontier with Tibet. Kamlesh Kamal, a spokesperson for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, said that rescue operations faced significant challenges due to substantial snowfall, making access to the area difficult. Rescuers were met with formidable conditions including deep snow, snowstorms, and poor visibility.
The Himalayan region, known for its ecological sensitivity, has been significantly impacted by global warming and is susceptible to natural disasters such as avalanches and flash floods. A recent example includes a devastating avalanche in 2022 that claimed the lives of 27 trainee mountaineers in Uttarakhand. In the previous year, a glacier burst in the state led to a catastrophic flash flood, resulting in over 200 deaths.
