Chamoli, February 14: The death toll in the Uttrakhand glacier tragedy rose to 50 after 12 more bodies were recovered from the flash flood-hit areas of Chamoli district. The bodies were recovered from the slush of the main tunnel at Tapovan. The rescue operation has intensified as the teams have reached upto 130 metres inside. They are now trying to reach the next tunnel. According to reports, 164 people are still missing after the flash floods.

Notably, three bodies were recovered in the morning on Sunday, while nine bodies were recovered later in the day. Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said, “Overnight excavation has resulted in debris mostly. Teams have reached upto 130m inside & trying to fasten the process to reach the next tunnel soon.” Uttarakhand Glacier Burst: Here Are Facts About Nanda Devi Glacier in Chamoli District.

Statement of Uttarakhand DGP: 

Over 30 people are still trapped in a tunnel in Tapovan for almost a week. According to a report published in NDTV, these are the first bodies to have been recovered from the tunnel at the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project. Meanwhile, 38 bodies were recovered over the past week from downstream areas of the Dhauli Ganga river.  Uttarakhand Glacier Burst: Avalanche Damages a Part of Under-Construction Hydro Power Plant in Tapovan, Says NTPC.

Teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are jointly carrying the rescue operations. A cofferdam was also constructed at Tapovan to prevent any more water from flushing into the tunnel.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government on Friday sounded an alert after satellite images detected the formation of a large lake in the catchment area of the turbulent Rishiganga river which had caused a deluge on February 7 in Joshimath area of the district. The flash flood damaged a part of its hydropower project in Tapovan.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 14, 2021 10:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).