11 dead after glacier burst in Uttarakhands Chamoli

After a glacier broke off near Uttarakhand’s Niti Valley on
Friday, 11 dead bodies have been recovered by Indian Army personnel so far, PTI reported quoting officials.

Ten bodies were recovered till Saturday. One more body was recovered on Sunday and a rescue operation is underway, the district disaster management office here said.

Uttarakhand police chief Ashok Kumar said a total of 430 BRO workers were at the road construction site when the avalanche occurred on Friday.

Also read: ‘Saw glacier sliding down’: 2nd avalanche in 2 months in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli

A BRO Camp came under an avalanche in the afternoon of April 23 during heavy snowfall in the Sumna area of Joshimath Sector in Chamoli district
of Uttarakhand.

While 55 BRO persons could be mustered at first count,
blizzard conditions kept rescue operation at bay till late evening”, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) said in a statement earlier on Saturday, which was further updated by the Indian Army.

Reportedly, it further said in the statement that “an
avalanche hit a location about 4 km ahead of Sumna on Sumna – Rimkhim road in
Uttarakhand”, on the “Joshimath – Malari- Girthidobla – Sumna- Rimkhim axis”,
as per The Indian Express.

The armed forces further noted that road services were cut off
in four to five locations due to landslides, and that Border Roads Task Force
personnel were working to clear the route from Bhapkund to Sumna since Friday
evening.

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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat tweeted out,
addressing the incident on Friday.

“A glacier breakdown has been reported in Sumna, Neeti
Valley. I have released alert in this regard. I am in constant touch with the
district administration and BRO”, Rawat’s tweet read.