Chamoli, March 2 (IANS) The death toll in the Chamoli avalanche in Uttarakhand's Mana region has reached seven, with the rescue officials pulling out three more bodies on Sunday. Meanwhile, the search operation for one missing worker is still ongoing. With this, the total number of recovered people has risen to 53, including the seven workers who were recovered dead. Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Disaster Operations Centre and held a meeting with officials to oversee the ongoing rescue operations in Chamoli. Rescue efforts resumed early Sunday morning after clear weather allowed teams to intensify their search. Helicopters have also been deployed to assist in the mission.

The avalanche, which struck Mana village on Friday night, initially trapped 55 workers. Swift and coordinated efforts by the Army, ITBP, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) led to the rescue of 46 workers. However, four workers lost their lives, and four remain missing. CM Dhami had further stated, "We are deploying advanced technology, including ground-penetrating radar (GPR), thermal imaging cameras, and victim-locating cameras, to aid in the search." "Today's clear weather is in our favour, but high alert warnings have been issued for tomorrow. Those working in high-altitude areas have been advised to halt work due to the high possibility of snowfall and avalanches," he said.

"Our priority is to locate the missing workers as soon as possible. The Army, ITBP, NDRF, district administration, disaster management teams, BRO, and the Air Force are working in coordination. The Health Department is also actively involved in the operations," Dhami mentioned. The Chief Minister added that efforts are being made to restore communication and power in the affected areas. "Several villages have been cut off, and arrangements are being made for food supplies. Power had been disrupted in five blocks, but partial restoration has been achieved. Since the affected site is near Mana, all types of communication have been severed, and efforts are underway to reestablish connectivity," he said.

The avalanche struck between 5:30 and 6:00 AM on Friday, burying 55 Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers inside eight containers and a shed. The large-scale rescue operation, involving multiple agencies -- including the Army, ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, BRO, Health Department, local administration, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), and the Indian Air Force -- continues despite challenges such as difficult terrain and extreme weather. Rescue teams are working tirelessly, and while no additional casualties have been reported, the focus remains on locating the missing workers.

/IANS