Sat Mar 01 10:50:10 UTC 2025: ## Avalanche Kills Four Near India-China Border, Dozens Still Missing
**Mana Pass, Uttarakhand, India** – A devastating avalanche at a highway construction site near India’s border with China has claimed the lives of four workers and left five others missing. The incident occurred Friday near Mana Pass in the Uttarakhand state, burying 55 workers under a thick blanket of snow.
Rescuers, including Indian Army personnel and multiple teams, have been working tirelessly for over 24 hours battling heavy snowfall, difficult terrain, and poor visibility to reach the trapped workers. As of this morning, 50 workers have been pulled from the snow, but four succumbed to their injuries. The search continues for the five remaining missing individuals.
The army statement reported that several workers suffered serious injuries, with those in critical condition prioritized for evacuation. Some were airlifted to the Army Hospital in Joshimath for treatment. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stated that rescue efforts are ongoing to extract the remaining trapped workers as quickly and safely as possible.
The avalanche struck a highway expansion project spanning 50km from Mana to Mana Pass. Many of the victims were migrant laborers. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police spokesperson, Kamlesh Kamal, highlighted the challenging conditions hindering the rescue operation. Army doctors at the site performed emergency surgeries on the critically injured.
This tragedy underscores the inherent risks in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region, increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. The area has seen a series of similar disasters in recent years, including a deadly glacier burst in 2021 and devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013. The frequency of these events is prompting renewed calls for a thorough review of development projects in the region.
First Piper 