With five more bodies being recovered from the flood ravaged Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project site, the death toll has now reached 67. Sunday marked the 15th day of the search operations in Uttarakhand’s calamity-struck hit area.
Search operation at the project site has been underway on a war footing basis for a fortnight since it bore the brunt of an avalanche triggered by a glacier burst over Rishi Ganga in Chamoli district on February 7.
The 13.2 mw Rishi Ganga hydel project was totally demolished in the avalanche while the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project suffered extensive damage. Recovery of five bodies on Saturday takes the toll in the tragedy to 67 while 137 are still missing.
Meanwhile, the State Department Response Force (SDRF) had said on Thursday that 12 of its teams are engaged in the rescue operation for missing people from Reni village to Srinagar and the communication team is also working simultaneously for better communication in the area.
SDRF said search and rescue operations will continue for a long time due to a large amount of debris and mud stocked inside the tunnel. A water sensor warning system has been installed in the Reni village to warn for emergencies.
A glacier burst in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand on February 7 led to massive flooding in the Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers which damaged houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project.
(With inputs from Agencies)
