Rescue operations continued well into the night on Monday as personnel of the ITBP, NDRF and Army worked to locate around 170 people, mostly labourers working at two power projects, who are still reported missing.Uttarakhand flash floods Live Updates: More than 48 hours after a flash flood struck Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat Tuesday conducted an aerial survey of areas affected due to the glacier disaster in the state and took stock of the situation.
Meanwhile, rescue operations continued well into the night on Monday as personnel of the ITBP, NDRF and Army worked to locate around 170 people, mostly labourers working at two power projects, who are still reported missing.
According to the State Emergency Control Room, 26 bodies have been recovered so far from the project sites of NTPC’s Tapovan Vishnugad Hydro Power Project and the privately owned Rishiganga power project.
Officials said rescue operations are centred around a 1,900-metre-long tunnel at NTPC’s Tapovan site, where at least 35 people are believed to be trapped. A barrage at the project site had been washed away in the flood that saw water rise up to 70 feet, leading to debris blocking the 20-feet-wide opening of the tunnel.
The US, meanwhile, has condoled the loss of lives due to the avalanche caused by a glacier burst in Uttarakhand and wished for a speedy recovery of those injured. “Our thoughts are with our Indian friends and partners during this challenging time. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, and we hope for a successful rescue effort and a speedy and full recovery for the injured,” Ned Price, spokesperson of the Department of State told reporters, said.
Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar told The Indian Express that they had managed to reach 130 metres into the Tapovan tunnel. (File photo)
A joint team of ITBP, Army, NDRF and SDRF entered into the Tapovan tunnel in Uttarakhand to check the water level inside the tunnel ahead of the point till where the debris has been cleared. Watch the video here:
More than 48 hours after the disaster in Uttarakhand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will make a statement in Rajya Sabha at 11:30 am on Tuesday.
Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat Tuesday visited 1st Battalion ITBP Joshimath Hospital to see the 12 labourers rescued by the ITBP yesterday from a tunnel near Tapovan in Chamoli. All of them are recovering.
After Sunday’s flooding incident in Uttarakhand, residents of Lahaul in Himachal Pradesh have intensified their opposition to the proposed hydel projects in the valley, fearing an occurrence of similar disasters in the fragile region. At least two gram panchayats in the valley have met since Sunday, resolving to not let any hydel project be set up in the Chandrabhaga or Chenab basin, home to a large number of glaciers. A few days ago, one of the panchayats also wrote to the President against the “destructive” hydel projects.
Currently, there is no hydel project in the high-altitude district of Lahaul and Spiti, but 56 small and big projects are proposed to be built there, according to Vikram Katoch, vice president of Save Lahaul Spiti.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat Tuesday conducted an aerial survey of areas affected due to the glacier disaster in the state and took stock of the situation. Below are some of his pictures.
While scientific teams are still to begin their investigation into the cause of Sunday’s flash flood in Uttarakhand, new evidence suggests that the incident may have been caused by a breach in a temporary pool or lake formed by obstructions due to landslides or snow avalanches — an event described as a Landslide Lake Outburst Flood (LLOF).
Satellite images circulated among scientists tracking the incident show that a large chunk of fresh snow from a mountain near Raini village in Chamoli district had dropped off Sunday, possibly becoming the reason for the flash flood. The resulting avalanche could have released 3-4 million cubic metres of water in the rivers.
Rescue operations continued at Tapovan tunnel in Chamoli, Uttarakhand on Tuesday. Below is a video from the site.