Uttarakhand Avalanche: Survivors recount horror as rescue ops continue

Survivors on Sunday recounted the harrowing experience of being trapped under snow after an avalanche struck near Mana village near Badrinath in the Chamoli district Uttarakhand.

The avalanche, which hit a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp on Friday morning and 55 workers were trapped under snow. According to the Army the workers were inside eight containers and a shed.

A total of 50 were rescued before operations were halted on Saturday owing to snowfall.

On Sunday morning, the Indian Army said that the body of one more worker was retrieved.

Vijay Pandey, one of the men who was rescued from the avalanche site admitted to Joshimath Army Hospital, said, “We were in the container when the avalanche hit us, and it swept the container away; we found ourselves in the snow. Nine of us were in the container, and out of which four are admitted here.”

Another survivor said, “I had never seen anything like that in my entire life… Anyhow, a few of us managed to reach the BRO camp…”

One of the survivors recalled the intensity of the avalanche, saying, “It happened so suddenly that we didn’t realise anything. All our containers were destroyed as it was a heavy storm, an avalanche. Anyhow, we managed to rush towards the army camp. What else could the Army and the government have done? The weather was so bad.”