Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], February 28 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that the rescue mission was underway to pull out workers of the Border Roads Organization who got trapped under snow in the aftermath of a massive avalanche that that struck near Mana village in the Chamoli district of the state today.

Out of a total of 57 workers who got trapped, 42 still remain trapped under the snow while the remaining were pulled out safely

The chief minster said helicopter services couldn't be used for rescue missions due to inclement weather in the region

'Rescue mission is underway. Due to inclement weather, helicopter service cannot be used. We are trying to rescue the labourers. The offices of the PM and Home Minister are in touch with us,' Dhami said addressing a press conference here.

Earlier in the day chief minster took stock of rescue efforts to free the trapped workers. He reached the state disaster Control Room to review the efforts to rescue 42 out of 57 workers still trapped under snow.

A total of 57 workers of the Border Roads Organisation engaged in construction work on the border area of Mana village in Badrinath got trapped under the snow. Officials said 15 of them were pulled out, and efforts were ongoing to rescue others.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Dhami and assured that the government's priority was to safely evacuate the people trapped in the incident.

'Spoke to Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Dhami ji, DG ITBP, and DG NDRF regarding the glacier burst in Chamoli, Uttarakhand. Our priority is to safely evacuate the people trapped in the accident,' he said.

The Home Minister also spoke to the DG of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the DG of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) regarding the evacuation efforts.

Shah stated that the local administration is fully engaged in rescue operations.'Two teams of NDRF are also reaching the spot soon,' he said.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to chief minister Dhami and assured that local army units are providing all possible assistance to those affected.

In a post on X, Singh said, 'An unfortunate avalanche has occurred in the Mana area of Joshimath (Uttarakhand) today impacting the GREF camp of BRO. Spoke to CM Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding the situation. The administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected.'

'Rescue efforts by local Army units are also underway. All efforts to rescue the trapped personnel are being undertaken by utilising all available resources,' Rajnath Singh said.

Personnel from ITBP and the Army are engaged in the rescue operation, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said. Police Headquarters spokesperson IG Nilesh Anand Bharne said that 10 workers out of 57 workers have been rescued while the search for the others continues.

'A massive avalanche occurred near the Border Roads Organisation camp in the border area of Mana, in which 57 workers engaged in road construction were trapped. Out of these workers, 10 have been rescued and sent to the Army camp near Mana in critical condition,' IG Nilesh Anand Bharne told ANI.

Meanwhile, BRO Executive Engineer CR Meena said that the rescue operation is underway, but the team is facing difficulties due to heavy snowfall.

'Three to four ambulances have also been sent, but due to heavy snowfall, the rescue team is facing difficulties in reaching there,' the BRO Executive Engineer said.

The Indian Army's Central Command said, 'An avalanche struck a GREF Camp near Mana village in Garhwal Sector. A number of labourers are feared to be trapped. Indian Army's IBEX BRIGADE swiftly launched rescue operations inspite of continuing heavy snowfall and minor avalanches. So far, 10 personnel have been rescued and are being provided medical aid by the Army. Additional troops and equipment are being staged forward to the location.' (ANI)