IndoDaily Home Page
WHITE OUT
Eight dead in India avalanche as rescue operation ends
Eight dead in India avalanche as rescue operation ends
by AFP Staff Writers
Dehradun, India (AFP) Mar 2, 2025

Rescuers recovered the eighth and final body from the site of an avalanche in a remote area of northern India, the army said Sunday, marking the end of a marathon operation in sub-zero temperatures.

More than 50 workers were submerged under snow and debris after the avalanche hit a construction camp on Friday near Mana village on the border with Tibet in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

Authorities had revised down the number of workers on site at the time of the avalanche from 55 to 54 after one worker, previously believed to be buried, was found to have safely made his way home before the avalanche hit.

The army used drone-based detection system to assist in its search operations.

Multiple drones and a rescue dog were also employed.

Construction worker Anil, who only gave his first name, recalled his rescue hours after being buried by the avalanche.

"It was if God's angels had come to save us," Anil, who is in his late 20s, told AFP on Sunday by phone from his hospital bed.

"The way we were engulfed in snow, we had no hope of surviving."

Being alive now felt "like a dream", he said.

- 'Not all made it' -

Working on a project by the Border Roads Organisation, the workers were living on site in steel containers considered stronger than tents and capable of withstanding harsh weather.

Anil said many workers were fast asleep and a few others were in makeshift toilets when the avalanche struck around 6:00 am Friday.

As the ground beneath them shook, the container in which Anil and his colleagues were in began to slide down.

"At first we did not understand what was happening but when we looked out of the window of the containers, we saw piles of snow all around," he said.

"The roof of the containers was also slowly bending inwards."

Everyone started screaming for help and a few men were lucky to get out of their containers.

"But not all of them made it out and they remained trapped," he said.

- 'Like thunder' -

His colleague Vipan Kumar thought "this was the end" when he found himself unable to move as he struggled for air under the thick layer of snow.

"I heard a loud roar, like thunder ... before I could react, everything went dark," he told the Times of India newspaper.

At an altitude of more than 3,200 metres (10,500 feet), minimum temperatures in the area were down to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit).

Dhan Singh Bisht said his son and nephew were alive only because of the prompt action by the relief teams.

"I am grateful to them," an overwhelmed Bisht told AFP by phone on Saturday.

Avalanches and landslides are common in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, especially during the winter season.

Scientists say climate change is making weather events more severe, while the increased pace of development in the fragile Himalayan regions has also heightened fears about the fallout from deforestation and construction.

In 2021, nearly 100 people died in Uttarakhand after a huge glacier chunk fell into a river, triggering flash floods.

And devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013 killed 6,000 people and led to calls for a review of development projects in the state.

Related Links
It's A White Out at TerraDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WHITE OUT
Rescue efforts enter third day at India avalanche site
Dehradun, India (AFP) Mar 2, 2025
Indian rescuers hurried in sub-zero temperatures Sunday to dig out four missing workers presumed buried by an avalanche in a remote border area, with snowfall increasing the risk of more sliding snow. More than 50 workers were submerged by snow and debris after the avalanche hit a construction camp on Friday near the border with Tibet in the northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, according to officials. Relief teams have managed to rescue 50 workers, but among them four later died of their inj ... read more

WHITE OUT
UK delays approving London Gatwick airport expansion

Surprise Chinese naval drills caused dozens of Australian flight diversions

Search for doomed MH370 resumes 11 years after disappearance

Airman dead, another hurt in shooting at Air Force base in New Mexico

WHITE OUT
'No need to overthink': China Tesla fans unfazed by Musk politics

EU proposes emission rule delay to spare carmakers from fines

Paris imposes car-sharing lane on congested ring road

Aston Martin cuts jobs as weak China demand weighs

WHITE OUT
Indonesia plans $40 bn energy projects in 2025: minister

EU vows to slash red tape but stick to climate goals

Japan sets new 2035 emissions cut goal

COP30 president urges most 'ambitious' emissions targets possible

WHITE OUT
Researchers are cracking the code on solid-state batteries

Scientists develop battery that converts nuclear waste into electricity

Geothermal systems drive global clean energy expansion

Some fuel lodges in the inner walls of fusion vessels. Researchers now have a better idea of how much

WHITE OUT
Italy breaks 'taboo' with push to revive nuclear

Bangladesh calls for continued Russian nuclear collaboration

French nuclear giant Orano triples profits

GE Vernova advances UK SMR development with new supplier agreements

WHITE OUT
Time Interfaces Unlock New Frontiers in Four-Dimensional Quantum Optics

MIT physicists find unexpected crystals of electrons in new ultrathin material

Illuminating the Inner Workings of the Proton

What Hundreds of Millions of Galaxies Can Teach Us About the Big Bang

WHITE OUT
Markets fall on trade war fears after US, China tariffs

Asian markets mixed after latest Trump tariff threat

Trump's trade wars intensify as tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China take force

US Treasury chief pushes Canada, Mexico to match tariffs on China

WHITE OUT
Iraq says Ocalan's call to dissolve PKK 'important' for regional security

Syrian Kurdish-led forces say Turkish strikes kill 12

Taliban officials confirm arrest of two Britons and a Chinese-American

'Turks, Kurds want the war to end': MP involved in talks

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.