Avalanche hit the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp between Badrinath and Mana in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district at 5.30 am on Friday. Over 65 personnel plowed through almost seven feet of snow overnight in the area between Mana village and Mana Pass, near the Indo-Tibetan border. The Indian Air Force’s Mi-17 choppers left for Mana on Saturday morning to join the search-and-rescue operations. The Mana helipad was opened, where 14 civilians were rescued, one of them in critical condition. The state government on Friday issued helpline numbers for people to get assistance or information related to the avalanche. 583 roads, including 5 national highways, have been blocked in Himachal Pradesh, impacting areas including Kullu, Shimla, Lahaul Spiti, Kinnaur and Kangra. One tourist has died, some are injured and 22 vehicles have been washed away. The Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only link between the Kashmir Valley and rest of India, closed for the day, stranding hundreds of vehicles.
