4 dead, 5 missing in avalanche in India’s Uttarakhand

Helicopters are being used in rescue efforts to retrieve 50 BRO workers from India and Nepal trapped in severe snowfall

Four out of the 50 workers trapped in an avalanche in India’s Uttarakhand have died, while five remain missing, according to the Times of India.

The avalanche struck the village of Mana on Friday. When the avalanche struck, the workers were assigned to a Border Roads Organisation, or BRO, highway construction site.

Indian Army spokesperson Lt Col Manish Srivastava said that helicopters have been sent to the Himalayan mountain state to look for the five people who have not yet been found.

Mana residents mentioned that the accident site is considered avalanche-prone in the winter, and the BRO camp is often closed at this time of year. Gaurav Kunwar, a former Mana village council member, told BBC News on Friday that the region where the avalanche hit was a "migratory area" with no permanent residents.

"The camp was not closed this year due to a lack of snowfall and that is why these people got trapped," Mana village headman Pitambar Singh told PTI.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the site and assured that the administration was dedicated to providing all possible support to people impacted "in this hour of crisis."