A minimum of four workers have lost their lives after an avalanche struck a construction crew working on a highway near India’s mountainous border with Tibet, the Indian army reported on Saturday, reports AP.

The disaster occurred on Friday near the Mana Pass in Uttarakhand’s northern region, trapping 55 construction workers beneath the snow. Rescuers managed to pull out 50 of them, but four later succumbed to their injuries, according to an army statement.

41 workers trapped after being swept away by an avalanche in northern India

The search for the remaining five missing workers was still underway, with multiple rescue teams and military helicopters scanning the site. The statement did not disclose the exact number of injured but confirmed that those affected were receiving priority evacuation.

Chandrashekhar Vashistha, a senior administrative official, stated that some workers had sustained severe injuries and were undergoing treatment in hospital.

Many of the trapped workers were migrant labourers involved in a project to widen and pave a 50-kilometre (31-mile) highway stretch from Mana, India’s last village, to the Mana Pass on the Tibet border.

“Rescue efforts were hindered by heavy snowfall, making access difficult,” said Kamlesh Kamal, spokesperson for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. He added that rescuers faced significant challenges due to deep snow, ongoing snowstorms, and poor visibility.

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The fragile Himalayan ecosystem, already impacted by global warming, is highly susceptible to avalanches and flash floods.

In 2022, an avalanche in Uttarakhand claimed the lives of 27 trainee mountaineers. The previous year, a glacier burst in the state triggered a flash flood, resulting in over 200 deaths.