Snowfall triggers landslides in HP as parts of north get rain; 4 dead 5 still missing in Uttarakhand avalanche
NEW DELHI, MAR 1 : Heavy rains and snowfall in Himachal Pradesh triggered landslides and caused roadblocks on Saturday, disrupting normal life in the state, as several other parts of north India received showers.
In Uttarakhand, 50 workers trapped in an avalanche in the Chamoli district were rescued, but four of them died on Saturday as rescuers raced against time to save the remaining five.
The strategic 270-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which was shut on Thursday evening following heavy snowfall and multiple landslides in the Ramban district, was reopened for light motor vehicles after the weather improved, and road restoration work was carried out.
Parts of Delhi, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh received showers on Saturday.
A day after an avalanche buried 55 labourers alive at a BRO camp in Mana village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, 50 of them were pulled out of the snow, but four of them died. The search is on for the remaining five.
The avalanche hit the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp between Mana and Badrinath between 5.30 am and 6 am on Friday, according to the Army. Thirty-three of them were rescued by Friday night.
Rain and snowfall hampered the rescue efforts on Friday, and the operation was suspended as the night fell.
As the weather cleared up on Saturday morning, the Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel based in Mana resumed the rescue operation, District Disaster Management Officer N K Joshi said.
Six helicopters, including three of the Indian Army Aviation, two of the IAF and one civil copter hired by the Army, are engaged in the rescue operations, an Army spokesperson said.
Located three kilometres from Badrinath, Mana is the last village on the India-Tibet border at a height of 3,200 metres.
Snow being removed as a police vehicle stuck after snowfall, at the South Portal of Atal Tunnel, in Kullu district, Saturday, March 1, 2025.
Uttarakhand avalanche: Four laborers succumb to injuries, five still missing
In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, heavy rains and snowfall disrupted normal life in several parts of the state, triggering landslides, blocking roads and huge mounds of debris swept by gushing waters damaging vehicles in Kullu.
A massive landslide triggered by incessant rains and cloudbursts at Rokaru in the Kangra district damaged several vehicles and endangered 12 houses.
The affected families have been relocated to safer places, and restoration work is in progress, said Kangra Deputy Commissioner Hem Raj.
One person was reported missing near the Shiva Hydropower project in Palampur, and a search operation has been launched to trace him, officials said.
Tribal Pangi valley in Chamba was cut off following heavy snowfall, and electricity and telecommunication services have been disrupted.
A landslide at Tohlu nullah blocked the Kiratpur-Manali National Highway, leaving tourists stranded. A total of 112 roads were closed in Kullu, and work is in progress to power 1,646 transformers.
The Kullu-Manali Road was also closed, and traffic was being diverted via Naggar while the electricity supply was yet to be restored in Manikaran and Manali, officials said.
Meanwhile, the state received moderate to heavy snowfall and rain during the past 24 hours.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the restoration of the 66-km Banihal-Nashri stretch on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was intensified on Saturday morning after the weather conditions improved.
Heavy rains had triggered shooting stones, mudslides and landslides at a dozen places, including Kishtwari Pather, Moum Passi, Hingni, Panthiyal, Mehar and Dalwas, while snowfall between Qazigund and Ramsu left the road slippery.
A side of the road near Mehar has caved in, while a major landslide has blocked one tube of the Kunfer-Peerah tunnel.
The road repair was hampered by continuous rains on Friday, officials said.
Ramban deputy commissioner Baseer-ul-Haq Chaudhary said there are at least 16 locations along the 66-km road stretch that were rendered vulnerable by the rains.
The national capital saw light rain on Saturday morning as the minimum temperature settled at 16.6 degrees Celsius, 4.1 notches above the seasonal average.
Delhi recorded 2 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday. Rainfall measurements at various weather stations included 1.8 mm at Safdarjung, 1.0 mm at Palam, and 4 mm at Pitampura.
Light to moderate rainfall was recorded in parts of Rajasthan on Saturday, where a maximum of 28 mm rainfall was recorded in Churu, followed by 18 mm in Chirawa (Jhunjhunu), the weather department said.
-PTI
