Authorities say at least 25 people remain locked in after an avalanche hit the work camp and buried dozens under the snow.
At least 25 people have been missing after an avalanche struck Uttarakhand in India’s Himalayas, authorities say.
The Blizzard-like condition caused an avalanche near a highway in the Chamori region of the province, adjacent to Tibet on Friday.
The Indian military said in a statement that struck the workplace of the Federal Border Roads Agency (Bro).
According to the statement, five containers were in place and the remaining three searches were underway.
Shamori district manager Sandip Tiwari told the news agency ANI on Friday evening that there were no signs of casualties, Shamori district manager Sandip Tiwari was rescued and rescued.
But strong winds and snowfall were hampering rescue operations, said Deepam Seth, the state’s top police officer.
“It’s snowing with strong winds. …The roads are completely blocked. We deployed snow cutters to open the road,” he told broadcaster NDTV.
State Disaster Relief Force Riddim Agarwal said highland rescue teams will be deployed to the scene by helicopters as the weather improves.
India’s Weather Service predicted that “heavy to very heavy” snowfall, defined as at least 12 cm (5 inches) of snow across the state until Friday, and then “significantly” is expected.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dami said he was “sad” by the incident and was monitoring rescue operations.
Indian media reports say the high-altitude camps had been receiving avalanche warnings since Thursday evening.
#IndianArmy #Suryacommand
The avalanche attacked Grev Camp near Mana village in Ghawalsector. Many workers are afraid of being trapped. The Ibex Brigade of the Indian Army quickly launched a rescue operation despite the continued heavy snowfall and minor avalanches. So far 10…pic.twitter.com/advcau9g4g
– Suryacommand_ia (@suryacommand) February 28, 2025
Avalanches and landslides are common at the top of the Himalayas.
Scientists have shown that climate change is making weather recharged in warm waters even more severe.
The increasing pace of development in the vulnerable Himalayas has also increased fears about deforestation and radioactive fallout from construction.
In 2021, nearly 100 people died in Uttarakhand when a huge clump of glacier fell into the river and caused flash floods.
The devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013 killed 6,000 people, allowing them to ask for a review of the state’s development projects.
The avalanche on Friday occurred as parallel rescue operations continued on the seventh day in the south Indian town of Nagarkurulnoor.
