At least 25 workers are trapped by an avalanche in northern India

In this handout photo supplied by the Indian Army, a team carries out rescue operations for trapped construction workers who were swept away by an avalanche near the Mana Pass in northern Uttarakhand state in Chamoli district, India, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (Indian Army via AP)

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — An avalanche swept away a large construction crew working on a highway near India’s mountainous border with Tibet on Friday, injuring at least three workers and leaving 25 of them trapped, officials said.

The incident took place near the Mana Pass in northern Uttarakhand state, and 57 construction workers were initially buried under snow. Authorities said rescue teams have pulled out 32 workers so far.

Senior police officer Rajeev Swaroop said three of them were transported to a military hospital for treatment, and efforts were underway to locate the other missing amid adverse weather conditions.

The workers were engaged in a highway widening and blacktopping projects along a 50-kilometer stretch from Mana, the last village on Indian side, to the Mana Pass bordering Tibet.

Uttarakhand’s top elected official, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said the national disaster response force was helping with rescue efforts.

The ecologically sensitive Himalayan region, which has been severely affected by global warming, is prone to avalanches and flash floods.

In 2022, 27 trainee mountaineers were killed in an avalanche in the northern Uttarakhand region. A year earlier, a glacier burst in the state resulted in a flash flood that left more than 200 people dead.

Biswajeet Banerjee, The Associated Press