Uttarakhand glacier burst: 8 killed, 384 rescued; rescue operation underway

384 persons have been rescued so far while six of them are critical and currently under medical treatment, a day after a glacier burst incident took place in Sumna, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand

As many as 384 persons have been rescued so far while six of them are critical and currently under medical treatment, a day after a glacier burst incident took place in Sumna, Neeti Valley near the India-China border in Chamoli district. Eight bodies have been recovered, said the Indian Army on Saturday.

"384 persons have been rescued so far. Six of them are critical and currently under medical treatment. Eight bodies have been recovered. Rescue operation is in progress," thr Indian Army said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Saturday conducted an aerial survey of Sumna area of Joshimath Sector in Chamoli district.

"Home Minister Amit Shah called us up last night. NDRF and District Administration are on the job. ITBP and BRO were informed. Rescue was done quickly. I did an aerial survey today. BRO is carrying out the operation but the connectivity remains affected," said Rawat.

The Indian Army informed, "A BRO (Border Roads Organisation) Camp came under an avalanche in the afternoon of 23 Apr during heavy snowfall in Sumna area of Joshimath Sector in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. While 55 BRO persons could be mustered at first count, blizzard conditions kept rescue operations at bay till late evening."

It further stated another 150 General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) personnel trapped in the BRO Camp have been rescued and brought to safety during the rescue operation that was undertaken by the Army at night.

Rescue operations are still in progress to search for the persons still trapped under snow or stranded at worksites since late evening. Two bodies have been recovered so far.

Mountaineering rescue teams and air efforts are at stand by for further rescue operations, said the Indian Army.

At around 1600 hours on April 23, 2021, an avalanche hit a location about 4 km ahead of Sumna on Sumna - Rimkhim road in Uttarakhand. This is on Joshimath - Malari- Girthidobla - Sumna- Rimkhim axis.

A BRO detachment and two labour camps have been there nearby for road construction work along this axis. An Army camp is located 3 kms from Sumna (approximately 1 Km short of BRO Sumna detachment).

The area continues to experience heavy rains and snow that it has been witnessing for the last five days.

The road access has been cut off at four to five locations due to multiple landslides. Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) teams from Joshimath are working to clear the area en route from Bhapkund to Sumna since last evening. It is expected to take another six to eight hours to clear this complete axis.

In February, a glacier burst incident had taken place at Joshimath in Chamoli district, leading to a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river and causing large-scale devastation. Over 50 bodies were recovered and hundreds were declared missing.