Gopal Joshi, one of the 55 construction workers housed in containers near Mana, stepped outside expecting the usual early-morning silence. Instead, he was met with a deafening roar—a massive avalanche hurtling down the mountainside at terrifying speed.
What followed was chaos. The avalanche, a frequent winter occurrence in the region, left the site in devastation. Workers struggled to navigate through deep snow, desperately trying to escape being buried alive. While 50 laborers were rescued, four lost their lives in the disaster on Saturday.
A sudden onslaught of snow
Joshi, a native of Narayanbagar in Chamoli district, had been operating an accelerator machine for months at a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp under Vijay Infra Construction Company.
"It all happened in an instant," recalled Joshi, who is currently undergoing treatment along with 22 others at the Army's Jyotirmath hospital.
"The weather had already been bad for days. Snow was falling when the avalanche struck around 6 am. As soon as we stepped out of our containers, we heard a thunderous noise. When we looked up, a wall of snow was rushing down towards us. I shouted to warn my companions and ran. But the thick snow made it difficult to move quickly."
Two hours later, soldiers from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) arrived to carry out rescue operations. Joshi, who sustained a minor head injury and chest pain, was airlifted along with other survivors from Mana to Jyotirmath for treatment.
Also Read: Fresh snowfall triggers avalanches in Gulmarg, highway shut
Workers describe their ordeal
Vipin Kumar from Himachal Pradesh, who injured his back, described being buried under the snow for nearly 15 minutes before managing to free himself. "I could only get out when the avalanche stopped. It feels like I was given a second life," he said.
Manoj Bhandari, another worker, recalled the moment he woke up to see "a mountain of snow" tumbling down from the peak. "I immediately shouted to alert everyone and ran behind a parked loader machine to shield myself," he said.
Three workers from Mathura shared how their attempt to escape was hindered by the deep snow. Meanwhile, Jagbir Singh from Amritsar, Punjab, said he and his group instinctively ran towards Badrinath to avoid being engulfed by the avalanche.
Rescue efforts and medical aid
Most of the 19 survivors admitted to the Army Hospital suffered injuries to their back, head, hands, and legs. Two of them, who sustained severe wounds, were airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh for advanced medical care.
The workers had been living in five containers set up by the roadside. The camp housed 55 laborers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir, all contracted under the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF).
As authorities assess the damage, the tragic incident underscores the harsh realities of working in extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region.
Also Read: Uttarakhand Avalanche: 4 dead, 46 rescued, 5 still missing
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