DEHRADUN (AFP) – The death toll from an avalanche in northern India climbed to five yesterday as survivors recalled their dramatic rescue after hours buried under the snow and debris.
Rescuers recovered one body and were looking for three others still missing, the army said.
More than 50 workers were submerged under snow and debris after the avalanche hit a construction camp on Friday near Mana village on the border with Tibet in the northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.
Authorities revised down the number of workers on site at the time of the avalanche from 55 to 54 after one worker, previously believed to be buried, was found to have safely made his way home before the avalanche hit.
Relief teams managed to rescue 50 workers, but among them four later died of their injuries.
Construction worker Anil, who only gave his first name, recalled his rescue hours after being buried by the avalanche.
“It was if angels had come to save us,” Anil, who is his late 20s, told AFP yesterday.
“The way we were engulfed in snow, we had no hope of surviving.” Being alive now felt “like a dream”, he said.
The army said it had airlifted a drone-based detection system to assist in its search for the three still missing. Multiple drones and a rescue dog were also being employed. Working on a project by the Border Roads Organisation, the workers were living on site in steel containers considered stronger than tents and capable of withstanding harsh weather.
Anil said many workers were fast asleep and a few others were in makeshift toilets when the avalanche struck around 6am on Friday.
Dhan Singh Bisht said his son and nephew were alive only because of the prompt action by the relief teams.
“I am grateful to them,” an overwhelmed Bisht told AFP.
