After the flash flood struck Uttrakhand’s Chamoli district, as many as 26 bodies have been recovered from different areas, while 197 people are still missing, said State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) on Monday as the rescue operation is underway at Tapovan tunnel, Joshimath in Uttarakhand, where Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) team will work overnight to take out debris and try to find survivors from the tunnel.
According to SDRF, people who were reported missing after the glacier burst and have survived the tragedy are coming forward to report their presence to the administration.
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“So far 5 people have come forward and reported their presence to administration. Around 35 more people are stuck in a tunnel and efforts are on to rescue them," said SDRF in a statement.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the 8th Battalion of ITBP force carried nearly 100 bags of ration and utility items from Lata village base (Temporary Helipad) and control station to villages of Jugaju and Juwagwar. These villages got cut-off from connectivity due to floods in Dhauliganga in the state.
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Moreover, two helipad activation teams of Indian Air Force Air Traffic Control and Meteorological personnel are at Joshimath and Gaucher for coordination of high availability disaster recovery (HADR) operations.
"Two Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) are forward staged at Gauchar (Uttarakhand), while Mi-17s, Chinook and ALH are operating from Dehradun," Indian Air Force said in a statement.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Monday directed the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to release Rs 20 crore funds to carry out rescue and relief operations in the state.
