Workers from Jharkhand were among those feared trapped under an avalanche that buried a camp of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday, an official said.
The exact number of workers from Jharkhand or their details, however, are not known.
"There have been reports of several workers working under BRO in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district being trapped under a broken glacier," Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said in a post on X.
It wasn't practical to deploy helicopters for the rescue operations as things stand, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said. Choppers can't be pressed into action due to poor visibility, he said, adding that snow and mountain experts of SDRF and NDRF are leading the operation.
Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said the workers were engaged in snow clearance work in the region and rescue efforts are progressing. “Around 57 labourers engaged in snow clearance work were camped there. Teams of ITBP, Army and SDRF have been mobilised for rescue operation. Due to active rainfall and snowfall situation in the district, we are not able to use helicopter services, and there is also difficulty in movement,” ANI reported quoting Tiwari.
The labourers were working to clear snow near the high-altitude border village of Mana in Chamoli when the avalanche hit their camp between Mana and Badrinath, reported news agency PTI.
"According to information, relief and rescue operations are being carried out by BRO, ITBP and others. I pray for the safety of all workers from Marang Buru (supreme tribal deity) who have been affected by this incident," Chief Minister Soren said.
When contacted, State Labour Commissioner, Sanjeev Besra, however, said he was not in a position to comment on the issue at present.
Forty-one BRO workers were trapped under an avalanche near the high-altitude border village of Mana in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.
The snowslide had initially buried 57 men but 16 were pulled out safely.
Mana, three kilometres from Badrinath, is the last village on the India-Tibet border at a height of 3,200 metres.