Two more bodies recovered from Uttarakhands Tapovan area, death toll rises to 67

Two more bodies were recovered from
the flood affected Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project area on Saturday, taking the
death toll to 67 in total. Search and rescue operations continued for the 15th
day on Sunday. Three bodies were discovered from the desilting tank near the project’s
barrage on Saturday evening, whereas two more were extracted at night, PTI
reported.

Since the glacier burst decimated the
hydel project on February 7 through an avalanche over Rishi Ganga in the state’s
Chamoli district, rescue operations have been accelerated significantly.

Also read: Uttarakhand avalanche: 58 dead, 146 missing as search operation continues on tenth day

While the Rishi ganga project, generating
close to 13.2 megawatts of electricity, was destroyed completely, the Tapovan project
too went through substantial damage.

While 67 people have lost their
lives, 137 are still missing.

As a potentially advantageous move to
aid the rescue work, Chamoli District Magistrate Swati S Bhaduria has asked the
National thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to bring in more excavators and direct
the Dhauli Ganga to another course so as to not let the water flow into barrage,
and eventually into the Tapovan tunnel, preventing efforts to clear up sludge
from the area.

Also read: NHL Outdoors game halted due to melting ice at Lake Tahoe

Bhaduria reiterated the issue, saying
that the problem has been a major concern for rescuers, as the river-water
entering the tunnel through the barrage are making the operations more challenging.