Uttarakhand flood LIVE: 36 bodies recovered yet; 169 people missing

Uttarakhand flood latest news: About 600 rescue workers are involved in the rescue operation. Stay tuned for LIVE updates

4:47 PM

Dalai Lama writes to Uttarakhand chief minister, offers sympathy, support to people

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has written to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, expressing his condolences to the families of the people killed in a glacier disaster in Chamoli district of the state.

 

A glacier burst at Joshimath on Sunday triggered an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that wreaked havoc and washed away hydroelectric stations. The death toll was 32 as on Tuesday with multiple agencies racing against time to reach 25-35 workers trapped inside a tunnel at the power project site and 174 people are missing.

 

"I offer my condolences to those who have lost loved ones, and pray for them. I also pray for the safety and well-being of those who are still missing. I understand that both the central and the state governments are engaged in rescue work and are doing their utmost to provide relief to people affected by this calamity," the letter read.

4:19 PM

Uttarakhand floods: Kin of missing protest at Rishiganga power project site

The families of workers missing from the Rishiganga hydel project site created a ruckus here on Wednesday accusing the authorities of not carrying out the rescue operations properly after the sudden flood in the Alaknanda river system wreaked havoc.

 

The kin of around 40 missing workers engaged a heated argument with the authorities of the project for two hours, alleging lack of urgency in the rescue work.

 

It is four days since the tragedy occurred but all the focus is on restoring connectivity. Rescuing the missing people does not seem to be the priority," alleged a man from Punjab, whose brother Jugal worked at the Rishiganga hydel project.

 

"Jugal's phone rings when his number is dialed," he said.

3:44 PM

Uttarakhand flash flood on Feb 7 caused heavy damages in Chamoli

3:27 PM

ITBP and other agencies cutting loose ends of pipes and wires inside Tapovan tunnel

3:10 PM

Uttarakhand floods: Kin of missing protest at Rishiganga power project site

The families of workers missing from the Rishiganga hydel project site created a ruckus here on Wednesday accusing the authorities of not carrying out the rescue operations properly after the sudden flood in the Alaknanda river system wreaked havoc. The kin of around 40 missing workers engaged a heated argument with the authorities of the project for two hours, alleging lack of urgency in the rescue work.

 

It is four days since the tragedy occurred but all the focus is on restoring connectivity. Rescuing the missing people does not seem to be the priority," alleged a man from Punjab, whose brother Jugal worked at the Rishiganga hydel project.

 

"Jugal's phone rings when his number is dialed," he said.

2:34 PM

Uttarakhand disaster: Drones and more deployed to locate workers trapped in tunnel, 174 still missing

Using drones and remote-sensing equipment, rescue teams intensified efforts on Wednesday to reach the 25-35 men trapped in a sludge-choked tunnel since the Uttarakhand glacier disaster three days ago and more than 170 remained missing, hopes of finding them alive fading with every passing hour. The multi-agency rescue operation at the NTPC hydel project site has been going on uninterrupted since Sunday, when a possible glacier break in the upper reaches of the Himalayas triggered an avalanche and floods in the Alaknanda river system, with no breakthrough in sight, PTI reported.

 

So far, 32 bodies have been recovered from different places in the disaster-hit areas of Chamoli district. Eight bodies have been identified and 174 people are still missing, the State Emergency Control Centre in Dehradun said.

 

The missing people include those working at NTPC's 480 MW Tapovan-Vishnugad project and the 13.2 MW Rishiganga Hydel Project and villagers whose homes were washed away as a wall of water came hurtling down mountainsides. A focal point of the rescue work has been efforts to penetrate through tonnes of silt, sludge and debris to get to the 25-35 people, who were at work inside the 1,500 metre tunnel at Tapovan when the waters came rushing in.

2:21 PM

ITBP personnel carrying ration to villages cut off due to glacier burst in Uttarakhand

2:13 PM

Uttarakhand glacier burst: Corpse of one UP worker recovered, 33 still missing

The body of one of the 34 workers from Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district who had gone missing in Uttarakhand's Tapovan, was recovered, Nighasan Tehsildar Dharmendra Pandey said on Wednesday, according to a PTI report.

 

Speaking to reporters Pandey said, "Out of the missing 34 labourers, the body of one was recovered and handed over to his family after postmortem. The deceased has been identified as Awadhesh who is a resident of Ichhnagar. Avdhesh had gone to Uttarakhand to work on the power project."

 

He further stated that a search operation for the missing labourers is on by the Uttarakhand government, adding that the district officials and police had visited the site and a special team of district officials has been formed which is in constant touch with the families of the workers.

 

"We received the information that 34 workers from Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri who had gone to Tapovan for work are missing. About 57 workers had gone there out of which 34 were missing. The rest are healthy and are in touch," he added.

2:01 PM

Uttarakhand disaster: Meeting held to review rescue and relief strategy

1:30 PM

Rescue operation continues inside Tapovan tunnel in Uttarakhand's Chamoli

10:58 AM

Watch video: Rescue operations in Tapovan tunnel

9:41 AM

Uttarakhand glacier burst: Rescue teams working day-night, saving lives is biggest challenge, says Pokhriyal

While addressing a press conference in the national capital on February 09, the Union Cabinet Minister for Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank spoke on Uttarakhand glacier disaster. Pokhriyal said, "Teams of Indian Army, NDRF, ITBP and SDRF are working day-night amid challenging situations to rescue people.

 

Saving lives is the biggest challenge right now. Search is underway for missing people." "206 people were missing, of which 31 bodies have been found," he added.

9:32 AM

Uttarakhand glacier burst: ITBP troops distribute ration in Pang village

ITBP personnel provided ration items to Pang village in Pauri Garhwal that has been cut off due to flash flood, in Uttarakhand today. A glacial broke in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand which led to massive flooding in Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers and damaged houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project. Click HERE to watch the video

9:17 AM

Uttarakhand floods LIVE: Govt to collect DNA samples for identification

In the aftermath of the devastating floods that wreaked havoc in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand on Sunday, the state government on Tuesday said that its officials will be collecting DNA samples of the unattended recovered bodies.

 

"Till 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 32 bodies have been recovered, while 174 are yet to be traced. The DNA samples will be kept safe and on the basis of that, the bodies will be identified," the state government said in a statement.

 

Of the 32 bodies, 25 have been identified, while 7 remain unattended. Rescue operation is underway to trace 174 more people.

 

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said, "Multi-agency operation is on at multiple sites of the state to trace the missing persons. From the Kedarnath disasterof 2013, the experience that we have gathered is that the DNA samples of the bodies' have to kept safe for their identification in the future."

9:10 AM

Uttarakhand flash floods due to hanging glacier collapse, says study

The flash floods in Uttarakhand two days ago was due to the collapse of a hanging glacier, initial observations by scientists at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology suggests.

 

A hanging glacier is a body of ice that breaks off abruptly at the edge of a precipice or steep slope.

 

"The event happened in a hanging glacier, adjacent to Raunthi glacier, which originates from Raunthi/Mrigudhani peak (6,063 metres above sea level)," Kalachand Sain, director of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, said. Read on...