A 50-hour rescue operation has concluded in India's northern Uttarakhand state, with 46 workers saved

An avalanche in northern India Uttarakhand has resulted in the loss of eight lives, with rescuers recovering the last of the bodies on Sunday, according to the Indian Army. The three-day rescue operation faced significant challenges due to the 3,200-meter altitude of the site and harsh weather conditions.

The massive avalanche hit a camp housing workers from the Border Roads Organization (BRO), which develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas, near the frontier with China early on Friday morning. Thirty-three workers had been rescued by the end of the day, although rain and snowfall forced the suspension of operations as night fell.

Rescue teams resumed their efforts due to improved weather conditions on Saturday and managed to pull out an additional 17 people. However, four of those rescued later died from their injuries, an army spokesperson announced on X. "Rescue operations were slow due to heavy snowfall, and the area remained inaccessible," Kamlesh Kamal, a spokesperson for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, was quoted by AP as saying.

Reports indicated that the stricken workers had been living on-site in reinforced steel containers suitable for extreme conditions. "These metal shelters saved most of them. They had just enough oxygen to survive until we rescued them," a senior rescue official told the Times of India. The outlet noted that over the past several years, avalanches in northern India have trapped more than 140 people, including tourists, mountaineers, trekkers, and soldiers.

The mountain region is one of the most treacherous in the country for road network development. In November 2023, 41 workers were stranded in an under-construction tunnel after a portion of the 4.5km passage between Silkyara and Dandalgaon collapsed in northern Uttarakhand. All 41 workers were eventually rescued by emergency teams after a 16-day operation.

In a separate development, rescue efforts are currently underway in the southern Indian state of Telangana, where eight construction workers are trapped 14km inside a large irrigation tunnel, after a section of the roof collapsed. The relief operation entered its tenth day on Monday, with no contact yet established with the trapped workers.