Uttarakhand floods: More bodies discovered in Tapovan tunnel as death toll rises to 58

Almost 10 days after the Uttarakhand flood disaster, when a glacial fracture spurred massive floods in Dhauli Ganga, efforts are still underway to rescue labourers trapped in a tunnel at the Tapovan hydroelectric project. Two more bodies were recovered early Tuesday, hiking the death toll up to 58. 148 are still assumed missing.

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Around 30 workers—who had nowhere to run when the waters came rushing in—were initially feared trapped in the tunnel at the National Thermal Power Corporation’s Tapovan-Vishnugad project site; almost 11 of their bodies have been recovered.

About 600 rescue workers are involved in the operation. Teams of the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) coordinated the rescue efforts.

The clearing of slush and debris is a painstaking exercise but the multi-agency rescuers are there in large numbers and taking turns to dig in deeper with the help of heavy machines. A team of the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment/DRDO has reached the site for surveillance and reconnaissance.

In a statement, Chamoli Chief Medical Officer G.S. Rana said that all those killed in the glacial disaster in Uttarakhand suffered bodily injuries, and sludge and water entered their lungs.