Latest news with #KamleshKamal
Russia Today
03-03-2025
- Climate
- Russia Today
Eight road workers dead as avalanche hits Himalayan region
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. #ManaAvalanche Search and rescue operations at the Mana Avalanche site concluded today with 46 workers being rescued successfully who are currently being given necessary medical treatment. However, despite relentless efforts, day & night, through inclement conditions by the… 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.
CBS News
01-03-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
At least 4 construction workers killed after avalanche in India
At least four workers have died after an avalanche swept away a large construction crew working on a highway near India's mountainous border with Tibet, Indian army said Saturday. The incident took place near the Mana Pass in northern Uttarakhand state on Friday, and 55 construction workers were initially trapped under snow. Rescuers pulled out 50 workers, of whom four later died, the Indian army said in a statement. It said the search for the five remaining missing workers was continuing, with multiple teams of rescuers and military helicopters scanning the incident site. The statement did not specify the number of injured but said they were "being prioritized for evacuation." Chandrashekhar Vashistha, a senior administrative official, said some of the workers had sustained serious injures and were hospitalized. Many of the trapped workers were migrant laborers who were working on a highway widening and blacktopping project along a 50-kilometer (31-mile) stretch from Mana, the last village on Indian side, to the Mana Pass bordering Tibet. "Rescue operations were slow due to heavy snowfall, and the area remained inaccessible," said Kamlesh Kamal, a spokesperson for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. He said the rescuers had to work through several feet of snow, snowstorms and poor visibility. Avalanches and landslides are common in the upper reaches of the Himalayas — especially during the winter season. Scientists have warned, however, that climate change spurred by human burning of fossil fuels is making extreme weather events more severe and less predictable, as winter snow and ice melts faster and storm systems are super-charged over the Earth's warmer oceans. In 2021, almost 100 people died in Uttarakhand after a huge glacier chunk fell into a river, triggering flash floods. Monsoon floods and landslides in 2013 killed 6,000 people and led to calls for a review of development projects in the state.
MTV Lebanon
01-03-2025
- Climate
- MTV Lebanon
At least 4 construction workers dead in avalanche in India
At least four workers have died after an avalanche swept away a large construction crew working on a highway near India's mountainous border with Tibet, Indian army said Saturday. The incident took place near the Mana Pass in northern Uttarakhand state on Friday, and 55 construction workers were initially trapped under snow. Rescuers pulled out 50 workers, of whom four later died, the Indian army said in a statement. It said the search for the five remaining missing workers was continuing, with multiple teams of rescuers and military helicopters scanning the incident site. The statement did not specify the number of injured but said they were 'being prioritized for evacuation.' Chandrashekhar Vashistha, a senior administrative official, said some of the workers had sustained serious injures and were hospitalized. Many of the trapped workers were migrant laborers who were working on a highway widening and blacktopping project along a 50-kilometer (31-mile) stretch from Mana, the last village on Indian side, to the Mana Pass bordering Tibet. 'Rescue operations were slow due to heavy snowfall, and the area remained inaccessible,' said Kamlesh Kamal, a spokesperson for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. He said the rescuers had to work through several feet of snow, snowstorms and poor visibility. The ecologically sensitive Himalayan region, which has been severely affected by global warming, is prone to avalanches and flash floods. In 2022, 27 trainee mountaineers were killed in an avalanche in the northern Uttarakhand region. A year earlier, a glacier burst in the state resulted in a flash flood that left more than 200 people dead.
Asharq Al-Awsat
01-03-2025
- Climate
- Asharq Al-Awsat
At Least 4 Construction Workers Killed in India Avalanche
At least four workers have died after an avalanche swept away a large construction crew working on a highway near India's mountainous border with Tibet, the Indian army said Saturday. The incident took place near the Mana Pass in northern Uttarakhand state on Friday, and 55 construction workers were initially trapped under snow. Rescuers pulled out 50 workers, of whom four later died, the Indian army said in a statement. It said the search for the five remaining missing workers was continuing, with multiple teams of rescuers and military helicopters scanning the incident site. The statement did not specify the number of injured but said they were 'being prioritized for evacuation.' Chandrashekhar Vashistha, a senior administrative official, said some of the workers had sustained serious injuries and were hospitalized, The Associated Press reported. Many of the trapped workers were migrant laborers who were working on a highway widening and blacktopping project along a 50-kilometer (31-mile) stretch from Mana, the last village on Indian side, to the Mana Pass bordering Tibet. 'Rescue operations were slow due to heavy snowfall, and the area remained inaccessible,' said Kamlesh Kamal, a spokesperson for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. He said the rescuers had to work through several feet of snow, snowstorms and poor visibility.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
At least 4 construction workers are killed in an avalanche in northern India
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — At least four workers have died after an avalanche swept away a large construction crew working on a highway near India's mountainous border with Tibet, Indian army said Saturday. The incident took place near the Mana Pass in northern Uttarakhand state on Friday, and 55 construction workers were initially trapped under snow. Rescuers pulled out 50 workers, of whom four later died, the Indian army said in a statement. It said the search for the five remaining missing workers was continuing, with multiple teams of rescuers and military helicopters scanning the incident site. The statement did not specify the number of injured but said they were 'being prioritized for evacuation.' See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Chandrashekhar Vashistha, a senior administrative official, said some of the workers had sustained serious injures and were hospitalized. Many of the trapped workers were migrant laborers who were working on a highway widening and blacktopping project along a 50-kilometer (31-mile) stretch from Mana, the last village on Indian side, to the Mana Pass bordering Tibet. 'Rescue operations were slow due to heavy snowfall, and the area remained inaccessible,' said Kamlesh Kamal, a spokesperson for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. He said the rescuers had to work through several feet of snow, snowstorms and poor visibility. The ecologically sensitive Himalayan region, which has been severely affected by global warming, is prone to avalanches and flash floods. In 2022, 27 trainee mountaineers were killed in an avalanche in the northern Uttarakhand region. A year earlier, a glacier burst in the state resulted in a flash flood that left more than 200 people dead.
