Three more bodies have been recovered by rescuers,
including two from inside a tunnel of the disaster-hit Tapovan project in
Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, taking the total number of bodies recovered so
far to 53.
During the excavation work inside the tunnel, eight bodies have been found so
far, officials said. Elsewhere, seven bodies were recovered from the Reni area
where the Rishiganga project was destroyed in the flood. With the recovery of
three more bodies since Sunday night, the total has gone up to 53. Nearly 200
people went missing after the February 7 morning deluge.
This is the first time since the February 7 flood that the rescuers have been
able to find bodies inside the tunnel. "We are expecting more bodies as
hopes are receding for survivals," admitted a top official. There is still
no contact with the remaining trapped people inside.
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Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Nilesh Anand Bharne, who is spokesman
of the state police, claimed the rescue work had been speeded up with the
installation of some additional machines like excavators.
The rescuers are working on two places: one inside the tunnel and other at the
remains of the Rishiganga project in Reni. They have stopped the drilling
process inside the tunnel, said Superintendent of Police (SP) Chamoli.
After days of digging and excavation works, jawans of the army, ITBP, NDRF and
SDRF, who are engaged in the rescue works, had managed to open a sizeable
portion of the tunnel. But the presence of heavy silt and sludge inside the
tunnel slowed down the excavation and digging work, top government officials
admitted. Rescuers also consulted NTPC officials to understand the complicated
design of the tunnel.
As the bodies are being recovered from the debris inside the tunnel, the
rescuers are slowly digging so that bodies do not get hammered.