'Never seen anything like that in my life': Survivors recall horror of Uttarakhand avalanche

NEW DELHI: Survivors of the avalanche that struck near Mana village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday recounted their harrowing ordeal of being trapped under snow.

The avalanche hit a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp, burying 55 workers inside eight containers and a shed, according to the Indian Army.

Vijay Pandey, one of the rescued workers admitted to Joshimath Army Hospital, described the terrifying moments:

"We were inside the container when the avalanche hit us. It swept the container away, and we suddenly found ourselves trapped in snow. Nine of us were inside, and four of us are here in the hospital."

Another survivor recounted, "I had never seen anything like that in my life... Some of us somehow managed to reach the BRO camp."

One of the rescued workers described the intensity of the avalanche, saying:

"It happened so suddenly that we didn't realize anything. The avalanche destroyed all our containers like a storm. Somehow, we managed to rush toward the Army camp. What else could the Army and the government have done? The weather was terrible."

Rescue teams pulled out 50 workers before the operation was halted on Saturday due to heavy snowfall. On Sunday morning, the body of another worker was recovered, while four people remain unaccounted for, Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said.

"The weather has supported us. A total of 54 BRO workers were reported missing. Out of them, 50 have been rescued, while four have lost their lives. Search operations are underway for the remaining workers," he added.


Rescue teams are using advanced technology to locate missing workers. Earlier today, the Indian Air Force airlifted a drone-based intelligent buried object detection system to aid search operations. Additionally, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) communication team left from Joshimath with a manpack repeater to assist in the operation.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami reached the Disaster Control Room in Dehradun for the second consecutive day to review the ongoing rescue efforts.