Uttarkhand tragedy: Death toll rises to 35; tunnel rescue operations on

Mangalore Today News Network / Yahoo

Chamoli, Feb 11, 2021:    As search and rescue operations entered its fifth day in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district after flash floods wreaked havoc on Sunday, 7 February, the death toll in the tragedy rose to 35 while 204 people are still feared missing.

Rescue operations are also underway in full swing at the Tapovan tunnel where 25-35 are still trapped.

“There is no shortage of daily essential commodities in the flood-hit areas, even as relief assistance is being provided to the kin of the deceased. Efforts are on to establish the identity of the bodies through collected DNA samples,” Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat said, as quoted by IANS.

While power has been restored in 11 out of the 13 affected villages, drinking water lines have been repaired in 10 villages so far, IANS reported.

Five Days On, Workers Trapped in Tapovan Tunnel

The rescue workers on Thursday began drilling the tunnel vertically downward in what is seen as a new strategy to save 25-35 trapped people inside a tunnel of NTPC’s Tapovan hydel project, IANS reported.

The rescuers have also used remote sensing technologies for geographical mapping of the tunnel.

The rescuers have managed open a sizable portion of the tunnel but the operation has slowed down due to the presence of heavy silt inside the tunnel, ITBP officials told the media on Wednesday.

There is still no contact established with the trapped people inside.

Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya on Thursday visited the rescue site to take stock of the ongoing operation.

Angst Grows Amongst Kin of Missing People

Groups of people comprising kin of missing individuals held protests at a number of places in the disaster-hit areas such as the Reni village and the project sites, urging the government to speed up the rescue operation and alleged that the government has only been focusing on the disaster-hit tunnel.

The agitating locals also lodged a protest with the district administration in this regard.

“We will explore all the possibilities to save the lives of the trapped people,” said DGP Ashok Kumar, denying that the search operations have slowed down in the other areas.

“We are conducting searches with the help of boats at a number of places in the Alakananda river,” Kumar said.