UTTARAKHAND: Rescuers have recovered three bodies and are searching for the last missing person, the army reported.
An avalanche struck a construction camp near Mana village on the Tibet border in Uttarakhand on Friday, burying over 50 workers under snow and debris.
Authorities revised the total number of workers present from 55 to 54 after confirming that one had safely reached home before the disaster.
Relief teams rescued 50 workers, but four later succumbed to their injuries.
Survivor Anil, a construction worker in his late 20s, described the rescue as miraculous. “It felt like God’s angels had come to save us,” he told international media.
The army has deployed a drone-based detection system, multiple drones, and a rescue dog to aid search efforts.
Experts warn that climate change is intensifying extreme weather events, while rapid development in the fragile Himalayan region has raised concerns over deforestation and construction risks.
In 2021, nearly 100 people died in Uttarakhand after a glacier collapse triggered flash floods, and devastating monsoon floods in 2013 claimed 6,000 lives, prompting calls for stricter oversight of development projects.
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