The incident took place last Friday at a construction site in Mana village, Uttarakhand state, located at an altitude of about 3,200 metres above sea level.

According to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the Indian Army, 46 workers survived the avalanche, but unfortunately, eight people died. Those trapped were mostly migrant workers involved in building a highway in the remote area.

Due to the harsh weather, the workers took shelter in eight metal containers instead of setting up tents, said Lt Col Manish Srivastava, a defence spokesman in Uttarakhand. The decision may have saved lives as the metal containers protected them from heavy snowfall and also made it easier for rescuers to locate them.

Images released by the Indian army showed soldiers and sniffer dogs gathered around metal containers partially buried in snow. "Anyone who could be brought out immediately was rescued... We have received full support," said a survivor being treated in hospital.

The Himalayan region is prone to avalanches and landslides, especially in winter. Human-caused climate change is making extreme weather events more severe and unpredictable.

According to a 2023 report by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, Himalayan glaciers melted 65% faster in the 2010s than in the previous decade, increasing the risk of floods, landslides and avalanches.

Earlier in 2021, more than 200 people died when part of a glacier in Uttarakhand collapsed, sending ice, rocks and water crashing into a dam in a horrific disaster.

Ngoc Anh (according to CNN, NDTV)