The death toll in the avalanche that hit near Mana village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand on February 28, rose to six on Sunday.
“One more body recovered by the Army in snow during the ongoing search operation. The body is being brought to Mana post. Now 3 persons are missing,” Lt Col Manish Shrivastava PRO (Defence) Dehradun, told HT.
Rescue operations are underway with the Army, ITBP, Air Force, NDRF, and SDRF, working collaboratively to evacuate the trapped persons.
ALSO READ: Survivors share Uttarakhand avalanche horror: ‘Heard thunder…couldn’t run’
Here are the top 10 updates on the Uttarakhand avalanche:-
1. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday visited the Disaster Control Room at IT Park, Dehradun, for the second consecutive day to review the ongoing rescue operation for Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers trapped in Mana.
2. Vijay Pandey, one of the men who was rescued from the avalanche site and admitted to Joshimath Army Hospital, told ANI, “We were in the container when the avalanche hit us, and it swept the container away; we found ourselves in the snow. Nine of us were in the container, and out of which four are admitted here.”
ALSO READ: Got swept away: Workers in Chamoli recount harrowing ordeal
3. The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday airlifted a drone-based intelligent buried object detection system for deployment in search and rescue operations. Apart from this, the SDRF communication team from Joshimath left for the Shri Badrinath Dham with man pack repeater for the search and rescue of the missing BRO workers.
4. According to ANI, the state government deployed extensive aerial rescue operations, including one MI-17 helicopter, three Cheetah helicopters, two Uttarakhand government helicopters, and an AIIMS Rishikesh air ambulance for evacuation efforts. CM Dhami had also directed authorities to deploy additional helicopters if required.
5. SDRF’s inspector general of police (IG) Ridhim Agarwal said an expert team has been sent to the site of the incident via helicopter from Sahastradhara with a Victim Locating Camera (V.L.C.) and Thermal Image Camera to search for the missing workers .
The search will be carried out with the help of these equipment (Victim Locating Camera (V.L.C) and Thermal Image Camera), the SDRF official added.
6. According to ANI, the Army helipad near the Mana base camp has been prepared for emergency operations.
7. Heavy snowfall continues to pose challenges, with snow accumulation of 6-7 feet in Badrinath and road closures at multiple locations, the ANI report added.
8. Uttarakhand Sub Area GOC Major General Prem Raj and Brigadier Harish Sethi visited the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) to assess ongoing military-led rescue operations and assured full support.
9. Chamoli district magistrate Sandeep Tiwari on Saturday said that 24 rescued Border Road Organisation (BRO) workers have been receiving treatment in Joshimath, while one individual has been sent to AIIMS Rishikesh via air ambulance after an injury to his spine.
10. On Saturday, CM Pushkar Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the avalanche-affected area this morning. He met the workers undergoing treatment at the Army Hospital and inquired about their well-being.