Uttarakhand disaster: 3 more bodies found, toll 58

Tribune News Service
Joshimath, February 16

The cumulative toll in the Uttarakhand flashfloods has gone up to 58 with three more bodies found today. While two bodies were recovered from the Tapovan tunnel, one was found in the riverbed. As many as 146 persons are still missing. “The cumulative toll in the glacial disaster has mounted to 58, while 146 persons are still missing,” a senior official of the search team said. One body was recovered from the tunnel around midnight, while another one was found around 2 am.

Of the 58 bodies found so far, 31 have been identified and handed over to their families.

In all, 11 bodies have been recovered from the sludge-choked intake Adit tunnel of the NTPC’s Tapovan hydropower project so far.

The agencies involved in the rescue operations include the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force.