At least four people have died, and five others remain missing after an avalanche struck a remote border area in India’s northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The avalanche hit a construction camp near Mana village on Friday, burying 55 workers under snow and debris, according to officials.
The Indian army, in a statement issued on Saturday, confirmed that 50 people were initially rescued from the disaster site. However, four of them succumbed to their injuries. “Unfortunately, four injured persons have been confirmed as fatal casualties,” the statement read.
Rescue efforts are still ongoing as teams continue searching for the five missing workers. The operation has been complicated by blocked roads, prompting authorities to deploy six helicopters for aerial searches. Uttarakhand state Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reassured affected families that the government is providing all possible assistance. “Rescue teams are continuously engaged in relief efforts. The government is fully committed to providing all possible support in this hour of crisis,” Dhami stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Mana village, which lies near the border with Tibet, has been largely deserted as residents moved to lower altitudes to escape extreme weather conditions. The Indian Express newspaper reported that the village had emptied following the avalanche.
Avalanches and landslides are frequent occurrences in the upper Himalayan regions, especially during winter. Experts have long warned that climate change is intensifying these extreme weather events. Rising global temperatures have led to an increased frequency of avalanches and glacial melts, exacerbating the risks faced by communities in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
Moreover, rapid development and construction in these ecologically sensitive areas have heightened concerns over environmental degradation. Deforestation and large-scale infrastructure projects are believed to be contributing to the instability of the region’s mountainous terrain.
This disaster is a grim reminder of past tragedies in Uttarakhand. In 2021, nearly 100 people lost their lives when a glacier chunk broke off and triggered flash floods. An even deadlier disaster occurred in 2013, when devastating monsoon floods and landslides killed approximately 6,000 people, leading to widespread calls for stricter environmental regulations in the region.
As rescue operations continue, authorities remain focused on saving lives while also assessing the broader impact of the avalanche. The tragedy underscores the urgent need for sustainable development in the Himalayas to prevent future calamities.
