Media reports on Saturday said at least two bodies have been recovered in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district hours after part of a glacier collapsed,triggering an avalanche.
Information was received about a part of a glacier collapsing beyond Sumna Chawki near Malari in the Niti valley, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials said. The Niti valley is located near the India-China border.
The BRO said labourers had been engaged in road construction work in the area. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat tweeted about the incident on Friday night, saying an alert had been issued and he was in constant touch with the BRO and the district administration for updates. In another tweet, Rawat said Union Home Minister Amit Shah took immediate cognizance of the incident and assured the state of all help.
The Indian Army announced on Saturday morning that 291 labourers had been rescued by soldiers. Rescuers are searching for missing persons. Heavy rains and landslides have hit operations. Roads are believed to have been cut off at at least four locations due to landslides. The Times of India reported the avalanche occurred around 4pm on Friday "ahead of Sumna on Sumna-Rimkhim road". The area had been experiencing heavy rain and snowfall for several days.
In February, a glacier burst killed nearly 80 people in Chamoli while many went missing.
