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

The death toll in the Uttarakhand glacier burst has now reached 58 as a total of 11 bodies have been recovered from the Tapovan tunnel in Joshimath of Chamoli district so far, reports ANI. 146 people are still missing. Hopes of finding survivors of the disaster have dimmed over a week as a massive rescue operation is underway to free the trapped in a tunnel in Tapovan.

The glacier burst, which took place on February 7, was possibly triggered by an avalanche in the upper reaches of the Alaknanda river system, wreaking havoc.

Also read | ‘Grateful for nature’: How a tree saved a man during Uttarakhand glacier breach

Chamoli District Magistrate Swati S Bhadauria and Superintendent of Police Yashwant Singh Chauhan rushed to the tunnel when the first two bodies were brought out in the early hours of Sunday. Later, four more bodies were recovered from the tunnel that is packed with debris brought by the flash flood. 

In an alternative, rescuers are trying to widen a hole that they have drilled into another interconnected tunnel, from where the trapped people could be reached. 

Bhadauria said that the only possible way to rescue the trapped people is with the help of excavators as they continue to dredge out the sludge from the tunnel. 

A total of 445 people, who were stranded after the flash floods, have been sent to their village, the Chamoli DM said. 

Also Read | Rescue team races against time to save trapped men in Uttarakhand’s Tapovan tunnel

Kits with foodgrain and other essentials have been distributed among residents of over a dozen villages that were cut off from the district headquarters after the disaster.

Electricity supply has been restored in all affected villages except Pang, where solar lanterns have been provided to residents, for the time being, the district magistrate said.

The agencies involved in the Tapovan rescue work include the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force.