Uttarakhand avalanche: 32 workers rescued,25 still trapped

In Uttarakhand, rescue operations are underway in Badrinath in Chamoli district after an avalanche struck a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp near the high-altitude border village of Mana on Friday, trapping around 25 workers under the snow. Initially, there were a total of 57 workers, of which 32 have been rescued so far and sent to an Army camp near Mana village. Some of the rescued workers are reported to be in critical condition.District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari says, "Out of 57 workers trapped in the avalanche, 32 workers have been rescued." Ttwo persons were killed in Jammu and arterial roads were cut off as heavy snowfall and rains hit parts of north India on Friday. The threat of another avalanche loomed over the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh. Rains pounded Jammu and Himachal Pradesh for the third day on Friday, prompting authorities to close schools in several districts. The mercury dropped in most parts of Punjab and Haryana due to the rain.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said, "All preparations have been made. We are taking help from the ITBP. The district administration and all others are in touch, and we are trying to rescue all as soon as possible," Chief Minister Dhami told reporters in Dehradun.

#WATCH | Heavy snowfall continues near Mana in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.

57 labourers engaged in snow clearance near Mana trapped after an avalanche hit the area. 10 labourers have been rescued; search and rescue mission for the remaining persons is underway.

(Video… pic.twitter.com/BpFHWVgXbA

— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2025

 Mana, three kilometres from Badrinath, is the last village on the India-Tibet border at a height of 3,200 metres. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have left for the spot amid continuing snowfall and rain.
In Jammu, a woman and her son were killed when a boulder from a hillock hit their two-wheeler near Moungari in Udhampur district. Eleven labourers were rescued by a joint team of police and the SDRF from the Ujh river in the Rajbagh area of Kathua district early Friday. They were staying in a shed adjoining a construction site and their lives were in danger due to a swollen water body, officials said. The driver of a dumper was also rescued by police and SDRF personnel after his vehicle was submerged in the Tawi river in the Niki Tawi area, they said.The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday extended the winter vacations for schools in the Valley and winter zone areas of the Jammu division by six days in view of the weather conditions. The schools will now reopen on March 7, according to an order issued by the Department of School Education.
Heavy snowfall and rains also triggered landslides and blocked roads in Himachal Pradesh. About 200 roads have been closed due to heavy snowfall across the state, cutting off several areas in Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Chamba and Shimla districts from the rest of the state, officials said. An avalanche warning has been issued for tribal areas and other higher reaches of the state above 2,300 metres and people have been advised to restrict outdoor movement, they said. n Kullu, heavy rains inundated Akhara Bazaar and Gandhi Nagar. The administration has restricted vehicular movement beyond Nehru Kund due to fresh snowfall at Solang Nallah, Gulaba, Atal Tunnel and Rohtang.All educational institutions, including colleges, have been closed in Chamba and Manali. However, the CBSE Board examinations will be held as scheduled, they added.

#WATCH | Kullu, Himachal Pradesh | Visuals from Kullu district, where torrential rain in lower areas for the last 24 hours caused flash floods and landslides. Efforts to retrieve damaged vehicles are underway.

The administration has issued an alert to the people living in the… pic.twitter.com/5hhif7eaVm

— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2025

In Punjab, Amritsar received 17.5 mm of rain, Ludhiana 5.8 mm, Patiala 7.2 mm, Bathinda 1 mm, Faridkot 6.1 mm, Gurdaspur 20.7 mm, Ferozepur 10.5 mm, Hoshiarpur 20.5 mm and Mohali 3 mm, the meteorological office said. In Haryana, Ambala received 6.2 mm of rain, Hisar 2.8 mm, Karnal 4 mm and Rohtak received 0.6 mm of rain.