Avalanche

Avalanche alert issued for high altitude areas in four Himachal districts

The Met office here has issued an avalanche alert for some high altitude areas in Himachal Pradesh for the next 24 hours. It has also predicted a wet spell in the state till Thursday, barring Tuesday. The Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment, Chandigarh, issued an orange alert on Saturday, with the possibility of avalanches in high altitude areas of Chamba, Kullu, Kinnaur, and Lahaul and Spiti districts in the next 24 hours. Parts of the state witnessed light snow since Friday evening. Gondla received 8 cm of snow, Kukumseri 4.2 cm and Kalpa 2 cm. Snowfall since February 26 has made life tough for tribals of the Pangi valley in Chamba district. With the closure of roads, the villagers have been forced to carry the sick to hospital on palanquins. It was reported that on Friday, Sham Singh, a patient from Punto village, was taken to Civil Hospital in Killar on a palanquin. Earlier, villagers from Hudan panchayat had carried two patients, Sher Singh and Hira Lal, to the hospit

Watch: Avalanche strikes J&K's Sonamarg

Bodies of 4 more workers recovered from avalanche site, Mana rescue op ends

The bodies of the last four of the trapped labourers were pulled out from the site of the avalanche-hit Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp in Chamoli on Sunday, taking the death toll to eight as authorities ended the nearly 60-hour rescue operation. Army doctors said 46 workers who were rescued on Saturday have been brought to the military hospital in Jyotirmath. Two of them have been referred to AIIMS, Rishikesh. Three of the workers are in critical condition, Lt Col DS Maldhya said. The body of the last missing worker has also been retrieved. The recovery marks the culmination of the Mana Village Rescue operation, Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO) Lt Col Manish Shrivastava said. "Out of the 54 labourers who went missing after the avalanche, 46 were rescued alive and eight found dead," Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said. Four bodies were retrieved on Saturday and as many on Sunday. The avalanche hit the BRO camp between Mana and Badrinath on Friday, burying th

Uttarakhand avalanche: Army recovers 2 more bodies; 1 worker still missing

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said this morning that the search and rescue operation for the missing workers is ongoing

Uttarakhand avalanche: 1 more body recovered, death toll goes up to 5

Fifty workers have been pulled out of snow from the site of an avalanche-hit BRO camp in Mana village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, but four of them died on Saturday as rescuers raced against time to trace four more labourers feared trapped. According to latest rescue updates provided by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA), five labourers were missing but one of them -- Sunil Kumar from Kangra in Himachal Pradesh -- has reached home safely on his own and now, the search is focused on the four remaining workers. The avalanche hit the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp between Mana and Badrinath between 5:30 am and 6 am on Friday, burying 55 workers inside eight containers and a shed, according to the Army. Thirty-three of them were rescued by Friday night and 17 on Saturday. Rain and snowfall hampered the rescue efforts on Friday and the operation was suspended as the night fell. As the weather cleared up on Saturday morning, the Army and Indo-Tibeta

Uttarakhand avalanche: Of 50 workers rescued, four die, search on for five

Rescuers pulled out 14 more labourers from the snow that engulfed a BRO camp in the high-altitude Mana village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district as search operations resumed at the site of the avalanche on Saturday, officials said. Eight workers remain trapped. With the evacuation of the 14 labourers, 47 of the 55 labourers who were trapped under the avalanche, which hit the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp between Mana and Badrinath early on Friday morning, have been rescued. Thirty-three had been rescued by Friday night. Rain and snowfall hampered the rescue efforts on Friday and the operation was suspended as the night fell. As the weather cleared up on Saturday, choppers joined the operation. District Disaster Management Officer N K Joshi said Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel based in Mana resumed the rescue operation in the morning. According to the officials, the rescue teams pulled out 14 more labourers from the snow while a search is on for the ...

Avalanche buries BRO camp in Uttarakhand: 33 workers rescued, 22 trapped

Thirty-three of a total of 55 BRO workers trapped under an avalanche in the high-altitude village of Mana in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district have been rescued, with concerns over the safety of the remaining 22 mounting as night fell on the snowbound slopes and the rescue efforts came to a temporary halt. Updating the information on the rescue operations here, Uttarakhand's Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said 33 trapped labourers have been rescued and 22 remain to be traced amid adverse weather conditions. Correcting the information shared earlier, Suman said it was subsequently found out that two of the 57 labourers feared trapped in the avalanche at the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp were on leave and the actual number of workers trapped was 55. While 33 of them have been rescued, 22 are yet to be traced, he added. Suman agreed that the task is challenging as there is seven feet of snow near the avalanche site. However, more than 65 personnel are engaged in t

Badrinath avalanche: 41 workers still trapped, 16 rescued in ongoing effort

An avalanche near Badrinath trapped 41 workers, with 16 rescued so far. The Indian Army is leading rescue efforts despite heavy snowfall and challenging conditions

SDMA issues guidelines to Chamoli DM to take measures for avalanches

The high-altitude areas of Uttarkashi district received snowfall, while the lower areas witnessed light rains on Saturday

One foreigner dead, another missing in Jammu & Kashmir's Gulmarg avalanche

Personnel of the Army and a patrolling team of the Jammu and Kashmir administration are carrying out rescue and search operations

Low-danger level avalanche warning for 8 districts of Jammu and Kashmir

In its warning, JKDMA asked people living in these areas to take precautions and avoid venturing in the avalanche-prone areas

Road, air traffic affected by snowfall in Kashmir, avalanche warning issued

Snowfall across the Kashmir Valley affected normal life on Sunday with all flights cancelled at Srinagar airport, officials said. The plains of Kashmir saw moderate snowfall, while heavy snowfall has been reported in the higher reaches, they said. Authorities are clearing snow from roads so that vehicular movement is possible, they said. But traffic movement was slow as the roads are slippery. The snowfall has forced the cancellation of all inbound and outbound flights from Srinagar airport for the day. Authorities have issued avalanche warnings for hilly and mountainous areas of Kashmir, urging the residents to avoid unnecessary movement for the next 24 hours. The snowfall has resulted in a rise in the minimum temperatures but the day temperatures have fallen in most places of the valley. As per the MeT department forecast, the weather is expected to improve in Kashmir from Tuesday onwards. Qazigund town in south Kashmir was the warmest place on Saturday, recording a high of 3.

Tourist evacuation underway after multiple avalanches trap 1,000 in China

Rescuers evacuated tourists on Tuesday from a remote skiing area in northwestern China where dozens of avalanches triggered by heavy snow have trapped more than 1,000 people for a week, state media said. The avalanches have blocked roads, stranding both tourists and residents in a village in Altay prefecture in the Xinjiang region, close to China's border with Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan. Those injured were being airlifted out on a military helicopter while supplies such as food and fuel were being flown in. State broadcaster CCTV said a snow-blocked road linking Hemu village to major roads was cleared on Tuesday, enabling vehicles to enter and tourists to drive themselves out. Footage showed dozens of tourists dragging luggage over snow-covered areas toward a military helicopter, while a long line of outgoing cars was seen on the cleared road. State media cited the local highway administration as saying the avalanches affected 350 kilometres (220 miles) of roads. Road clearin

Lack of safety standards will hamper tunnel safety audit in India

Neither has the Comptroller and Auditor General apparently conducted any audit ever to assess safety issues in such projects, satisfying itself with only checks on the money spent in the projects

IMD warns of flash floods, avalanches in Himachal's Lahul, Spiti district

Earlier, on Saturday, the Indian Meteorological Department issued a red alert for seven districts of the state and an orange alert for three districts over the next 48 hours

Avalanche in U'khand: Woman pilgrim returning from Hemkund Sahib missing

A woman pilgrim went missing on Sunday after an avalanche occurred near Atlakoti in Uttarakhand when a group of Sikh devotees was returning from Hemkund Sahib, officials said. Four other pilgrims caught in the avalanche on their way back from the Sikh shrine have been rescued, Chamoli District Disaster Management officer NK Joshi said. Relief and rescue operation is underway, he said.

Avalanche warning issued for seven districts in J-K

Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Management Authority (JKDMA) on Friday issued an avalanche warning for seven districts during the next 24 hours

Avalanches: Causes, types, risks, tips to follow during snowy cascades

This year has already seen an unfortunate share of avalanches and now JKDMA has warn for more in coming days; here's what to know about avalanches and safety measures that can be taken if one is stuck

Avalanche warning issued in eight districts of J&K including Doda, Kishtwar

The Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Management Authority on Thursday issued avalanche warnings in eight districts of the Union Territory, officials said. Avalanche with 'low' danger level is likely to occur above 2,400-3,200 metres over Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Ramban, Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts in the next 24 hours, the disaster management authority officials said. Avalanche with 'medium' danger level is likely to occur above 2,800 metres over the Ganderbal district, they said. People in these districts have been advised to take precautions and avoid venturing to avalanche-prone areas till further orders, they added. Many areas in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir received fresh snowfall while the plains were lashed by rain over the past three days.

No tourist left under snow in Sikkim avalanche site: Govt official

A Sikkim government official Wednesday said it is now "almost certain" that no one is left strapped under the snow at 15th Mile, the site of the devastating avalanche and search operations by the Army and the Border Road teams have been called off. But helpline numbers will remain active for the time being to help tourists get information about their kin, Gangtok district collector Tushar Nikhare told reporters here. "We are almost certain that no more tourists are trapped under the snow near 15th Mile," Nikhare said. The Army, NDRF, ITBP, GREF, Sikkim Police and two personnel from Tiranga Mountain Rescue Team equipped with radars searched all possible areas near 15th Mile to find out any tourist lodged under the snow. But nobody was found there during the rescue and search operations that were carried out from 8AM to 3PM before being halted, the Gangtok DC said. The rescue teams used digging and trenching machines and other modern equipment to find people trapped under the debri