Uttarakhand avalanche: CM Dhami visits disaster control room

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the disaster control room on Friday evening to assess the situation and directed officials to speed up the rescue operation in the state following the avalanche that trapped 52 Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers.

He has been closely monitoring and reviewing the ongoing efforts, reaffirming the state government's commitment to ensuring the safety and support of all affected individuals.

CM Dhami said that all agencies are working on a war footing to carry out relief and rescue operations, assuring that the stranded workers will be evacuated soon.

He also urged the NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, and Army to collaborate efficiently in clearing the snow.

The Uttarakhand CM on Friday announced the establishment of a temporary control room in Joshimath to facilitate better monitoring of the ongoing rescue operations.

"PMO, HMO, and RMO are constantly taking updates on the situation. Indian Air Force helicopters are also kept on standby, and they will get to work as soon as the weather clears. Some rescue teams are also going by road. We will set up a temporary control room in Joshimath," CM Dhami told reporters.

He also mentioned that the state government has set up a helpline to assist the families of the trapped workers, who belong to various states.

"Since the workers who are trapped have come from different states, we have issued helpline numbers for them. We are just praying that everyone comes out safe," he added.

Uttarakhand's disaster management secretary, Vinod Kumar Suman, said that 33 trapped labourers have been rescued, while 22 remain unaccounted for amid severe weather conditions.

Providing a correction to earlier reports, Suman clarified that two of the initially reported 57 trapped workers were actually on leave, bringing the actual number of those caught in the avalanche at the BRO camp to 55.

Of these, 33 have been rescued, while efforts continue to locate the remaining 22, he added.

According to a list released by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority, the trapped workers belong to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir, among other states. However, the list does not specify the home states of 10 labourers.

Suman acknowledged the difficulties posed by the deep snow, which is nearly seven feet high near the avalanche site. Despite the challenges, he said, more than 65 personnel are actively involved in the rescue efforts.