Rescue ops briefly halted at Chamoli

DEHRADUN: Rescue and search operations were briefly halted at NTPC’S Tapovan hydel project on Thursday afternoon after police in Uttarakhand issued an alert over rising water level in the Alaknanda river, officials said.

“Rescue and search operation will resume after water level normalises,” State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) spokesperson Praveen Alok said.

Rescuers have retrieved 35 bodies since tragedy struck

Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Sunday morning, when a glacier breach sent a torrent of water hurtling down a valley into the Rishiganga river (it becomes Alaknanda in Chamoli city). At least 169 people have been missing since the deadly floods that hit villages on the way, damaged two power plants (the Tapovan project and the Rishiganga hydel project), and prompted a section of experts to link the tragey to climate change.

On Thursday morning, rescue agencies used underwater sonar system to locate what they feared could be bodies in the muddy waters downstream, especially in Srinagar dam, officials said.

Rescuers believe several bodies have been washed away downstream and could have reached as far as the Srinagar dam. Rescuers also drilled a hole vertically on the floor of a tunnel in the Tapovan dam project to send a camera down in order to know the status of another underground tunnel, which is nearly 11 metres below, officials added. Officials believe 25-35 workers could be trapped there.