At least 41 people remain trapped under snow after an avalanche struck the Indian Himalayan mountain state of Uttarakhand, authorities said on Friday, following recent heavy snowfall in the region.
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The avalanche occurred near a highway in the state’s Chamoli region, adjoining Tibet, and less than 5km (3 miles) from the Hindu temple of Badrinath, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of devotees every year.
It struck a labour site of the federal Border Roads Organisation, where eight containers and one shed, with 57 workers inside, were buried under the snow, according to an Indian army statement.
Five of the containers had been located, the statement said, and the search for the remaining three was ongoing.
At least 16 workers had so far been rescued, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told reporters. There was no indication of any casualties.
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Chamoli’s District Administrator Sandeep Tiwari said that rain and snowfall were limiting mobility and the use of helicopter services.