The bodies of the last four of the trapped labourers were pulled out from the site of the avalanche-hit Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp in Chamoli on Sunday, taking the death toll to eight as authorities ended the nearly 60-hour rescue operation.Army doctors said 46 workers who were rescued on Saturday have been brought to the military hospital in Jyotirmath. Two of them have been referred to AIIMS, Rishikesh. Three of the workers are in critical condition, Lt Col DS Maldhya said.
The body of the last missing worker has also been retrieved. The recovery marks the culmination of the Mana village rescue operation, Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO) Lt Col Manish Shrivastava said.
“Out of the 54 labourers who went missing after the avalanche, 46 were rescued alive and eight found dead,” Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said.
Four bodies were retrieved on Saturday and as many on Sunday.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief at the death of eight people in the avalanche even as he thanked all the agencies involved in the rescue operations.
“All rescue teams, including the local administration, Army, SDRF worked with indomitable courage, loyalty and dedication. Despite difficult conditions, they put in all their strength to evacuate the workers safely, which is highly commendable. I salute their courage and dedication,” Dhami said.
He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for providing necessary support.