March 1st 2025.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to assess the ongoing rescue efforts in the Mana region of Chamoli. As you may be aware, an avalanche had buried a Border Roads Organisation camp, trapping 55 workers. So far, 47 of them have been rescued, but the search for the remaining eight is still ongoing with great urgency. The workers who were lucky enough to be rescued have been airlifted to the Army Hospital in Joshimath for medical treatment.
During the conversation, CM Dhami expressed his gratitude to PM Modi for the Centre's full support, saying, "I had the honor of speaking with respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji on the phone, and he was updated about the ongoing rescue operation to safely evacuate the workers who were trapped in Mana of Chamoli district." He also added that PM Modi had requested detailed information about the weather conditions in the state. The Prime Minister assured CM Dhami that the central government would provide all possible assistance to handle any emergency situation.
CM Dhami himself had reached Joshimath from Dehradun to oversee the situation and check on the condition of the injured workers before they were transported to the Army Hospital. Despite the harsh weather conditions, rescue teams worked tirelessly on Saturday and managed to pull out 14 more workers from under the heavy snow. Due to the snowfall, the roads beyond Lam Bagad were blocked, so the authorities focused solely on aerial rescue operations.
To carry out these rescue missions, two Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopters were deployed from the Joshimath Base Camp to Badrinath Dham. One of the helicopters is still on the mission, while the recently rescued workers are being transported to the Army Hospital. Over 150 personnel from the Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Disaster Response Force, and State Disaster Response Force have been working tirelessly on the mission, despite the challenging weather conditions.
CM Dhami has been actively monitoring the situation and has directed officials to airlift critically injured workers to advanced medical facilities. He stated, "With the weather clearing up, we have expedited relief and rescue operations. With the blessings of Lord Badri Vishal and the tireless efforts of rescue workers, we are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the trapped workers."
Lieutenant Manoj Srivastava, the PRO Defence, shared that the weather conditions around Joshimath and Mana have improved today. He also mentioned that the Indian Army has hired three civil helicopters to smoothly evacuate the injured workers. He added, "The rescue operations are currently in progress, and we are hopeful that the remaining eight workers will also be rescued soon."
The avalanche had buried eight containers and a hut where the workers were staying while working on road construction. The area was covered with nearly seven feet of snow, making the rescue operations extremely challenging. The workers who were trapped hailed from Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir. Despite the difficult conditions, the authorities remain hopeful and continue to work towards rescuing the remaining workers.
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