Rescue teams in northern India are working to locate 22 workers feared trapped after an avalanche struck a remote border region, according to officials and local media reports.
The avalanche engulfed a construction camp near a village on the Tibet border in Chamoli district on Friday, burying the workers under snow and debris.
Uttarakhand state’s chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, announced that rescue efforts had intensified as weather conditions in the area improved.
“Every effort is being made to safely evacuate all the workers trapped in the snow as soon as possible,” Dhami posted on X.
Authorities revealed that the avalanche initially buried 55 workers, with military doctors performing emergency surgeries on those critically injured at the site.
The nearby Mana village, which borders Tibet, was largely deserted as residents relocated to lower altitudes to escape the harsh weather, according to The Indian Express.
Avalanches and landslides frequently occur in the upper Himalayan regions, particularly during the winter months.
Scientists have warned that human-induced climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, is intensifying extreme weather patterns.
Warmer oceans are exacerbating these events, while the rapid pace of development in the fragile Himalayan environment has heightened concerns about the consequences of deforestation and construction projects.
In 2021, nearly 100 people were killed in Uttarakhand when a massive glacier fragment collapsed into a river, triggering flash floods.
The region also suffered devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013, claiming around 6,000 lives and prompting widespread calls for a reassessment of development activities in the state.
