Avalanche in Indian mountain state leaves at least 25 people trapped
The avalanche struck a labour site where eight containers and one shed, with 57 workers inside, were buried under the snow
At least 25 people remain trapped under snow after an avalanche struck the Indian Himalayan mountain state of Uttarakhand, authorities said on Friday, following recent heavy snowfall in the region.
The avalanche occurred near a highway in the state’s Chamoli region, adjoining Tibet, and less than 5km (3 miles) from the Hindu temple of Badrinath, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of devotees every year.
It struck a labour site of the federal Border Roads Organisation, where eight containers and one shed, with 57 workers inside, were buried under the snow, according to an Indian army statement.
Five of the containers had been located, the statement said, and the search for the remaining three was ongoing.
At least 32 workers had been rescued, Chamoli’s District Administrator Sandeep Tiwari told news agency ANI on Friday evening, and there was no indication of any casualties.
Members of the army were seen carrying a person on a stretcher through knee-deep snow, in images shared on X, as more snow continued to fall.