Ongoing rain and snowfall in high altitudes of Badrinath area in Uttarakhand are causing hindrance in rescuing the 42 BRO construction workers trapped in an avalanche, officials said on Friday.
Efforts are being made to clear the snow-clad road with the help of army and SDRF rescue teams.
IG SDRF Ridhim Agarwal said a team of SDRF was sent from its Joshimath station but the thick snow on the road was causing difficulty in reaching out to the accident site. This happened due to blockade of Badrinath Road at Lambagad due to continuous snowfall and rain.
He said efforts were being made to contact the Indian Army station at Joshimath to remove snow from the road.
The official said the option for air dropping the rescue teams was also being explored. She claimed that as soon as weather improves, the high-altitude rescue team of SDRF will be air dropped by helicopter near the avalanche site.
“SDRF and district administration are coordinating with BRO and Army. An SDRF drone team has also been kept in readiness. Drone operation is difficult at the moment due to heavy snowfall but efforts are being made to launch it as early as possible,” said Agarwal.
Agarwal confirmed that 57 workers of (BRO) were trapped in the avalanche near Mana village. She stated that according to information provided by the BRO commandant, 15 workers were safely rescued, while 42 were still missing. Among the 15 rescued workers, three injured were admitted at Army Hospital, Mana.