Rishiganga lake level falls by 1 foot; toll 70

GOPESHWAR: Rescuers have recovered 70 bodies and 29 body parts so far in search operations following the February 7 glacial disaster in Chamoli, the district police said on Wednesday. Missing reports of 205 people have been registered at the Joshimath police station, it said in a media bulletin. "So far, 70 bodies and 29 human body parts have been recovered from different places in the avalanche-hit areas, out of which 40 bodies and one human body part have been identified," the police said.

DNA samples of bodies and 28 body parts have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Dehradun for matching, it said.

The Uttarakhand government has issued a notification authorising officials to declare "presumed dead" 136 people who are missing after the flash flood.

SDRF personnel aided by the villagers have managed to widen the discharge area of a Rishiganga lake in Uttarakhand, bringing down its water level by 1 foot, top police officers said on Wednesday.

For the past few days, villagers have joined hands with SDRF personnel in uprooting trees, clearing the debris to widen the lake’s discharge area to release water. The discharge area has been widened by 20-50 feet which in turn brought down the water level of the lake by more than one foot, they said.