Rescue efforts enter third day at avalanche site in India

DEHRADUN, India - The death toll from an avalanche in northern India climbed to seven on March 2 as survivors recalled their dramatic rescue after hours buried under the snow and debris.

Rescuers recovered three bodies and were looking for the last remaining person still missing, the army said.

More than 50 workers were submerged under snow and debris after the avalanche hit a construction camp on Feb 28 near Mana village on the border with Tibet in the northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

The authorities revised down the number of workers on site at the time of the avalanche from 55 to 54 after one worker, previously believed to be buried, was found to have safely made his way home before the avalanche hit.

Relief teams managed to rescue 50 workers, but among them four later died of their injuries.

Construction worker Anil, who gave only his first name, recalled his rescue hours after being buried by the avalanche.

“It was if God’s angels had come to save us,” Mr Anil, who is in his late 20s, told AFP on March 2 by phone from his hospital bed.

“The way we were engulfed in snow, we had no hope of surviving.”

Being alive now felt “like a dream”, he said.

The army said it had airlifted a drone-based detection system to assist in its search operations.

Multiple drones and a rescue dog were also being deployed.

Not all made it

Working on a project by the Border Roads Organisation, the workers were living on site in steel containers considered stronger than tents and capable of withstanding harsh weather.

Mr Anil said many workers were fast asleep and a few others were in makeshift toilets when the avalanche struck around 6am on Feb 28.

As the ground beneath them shook,