50 workers trapped in avalanche rescued, four dead, search for five on war footing
17 other workers who were caught in a massive avalanche near Mana in Uttarakhand have been rescued on Saturday morning. They have been admitted to the Army Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. A total of 50 workers have been rescued so far. Four of them died during treatment. Rescue teams of the Army, ITBP, NDRF, SDR and Air Force are conducting a war-footing operation to search for five other workers. According to the Army, three containers are not traceable, they are buried under heavy snow. GPR radar has been ordered from Delhi to search for them.
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is monitoring the rescue operation, conducted an aerial survey on Saturday morning and reviewed the relief and rescue operations in Jyotirmath. After this, the Chief Minister, who reached the Emergency Operations Center of USDMA directly, discussed the rescue operation with senior officials of the government. He addressed the media. He said that in the morning Prime Minister Narendra Modi took an update on the phone and assured all possible help. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh are also concerned about the safe evacuation of the workers and are taking updates. According to the CM, 50 workers have been rescued so far. A rescue operation is being conducted on a war footing to search for five workers.
Five containers traced, three buried in snow
The CM said that the relief and rescue teams have succeeded in tracing five containers and evacuating the workers safely. Three containers have not been traced yet due to excessive snow. Efforts are being made on a war footing by the Army, ITBP to trace these containers. Army sniffer dogs have been deployed to search for the containers. Intensive patrolling is being done by three army teams. Army’s Ground Penetration Radar (GPR Radar) has been ordered from Delhi, which will help in tracing the containers inside the snow.
