Lucknow: The death toll in the Uttarakhand disaster has shot to 58 after two more bodies were recovered early today from the Tapovan tunnel.
Rescue works are underway in the region for the 10th consecutive day to reach workers feared trapped inside after a flash flood in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. According to officials, 148 people are still missing.
About 600 rescue workers are involved in the operation. Teams of the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) coordinated the rescue efforts.
The clearing of slush and debris is a painstaking exercise but the multi-agency rescuers are there in large numbers and taking turns to dig in deeper with the help of heavy machines. A team of the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment/DRDO has reached the site for surveillance and reconnaissance.
Meanwhile, Chamoli Chief Medical Officer G S Rana issued a video statement, saying all those killed in the glacial disaster suffered bodily injuries, and sludge and water entered their lungs.