Uttarakhand Disaster: Death Toll Climbs To 31, CM Rawat Visits Avalanche-Hit Villages

Around 31 bodies have been recovered from Uttarakhand's disaster site and the count is feared to increase rapidly. The death toll in the Uttarakhand glacier burst rose to 31 on Tuesday, while the rescue operation at Tapovan for saving 30 workers trapped under the tunnel is still undergoing, said the State Emergency Operation Centre.

The panic waves rushed in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district after a part of glacier splintered, triggering a massive flood. The State Emergency Operation Centre informed that 175 people are still missing after the unfortunate disaster

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The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) earlier said its personnel recovered two bodies from debris in Raini village earlier this morning

Today, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat visited Lata in Chamoli district to meet the residents of the avalanche-hit villages.

Rawat, who reached Tapovan on Monday evening to review rescue efforts, undertook an aerial survey of the affected areas on Tuesday and also met 12 workers who were rescued from the tunnel on Sunday evening.

Around half a dozen people were injured in the Sunday avalanche.

Thirteen border villages of Joshimath block were cut off following the avalanche in Rishi Ganga river on Sunday.

The villages that lost road connectivity in the wake of the calamity are Raini Palli, Pang, Lata, Suraithota, Suki, Bhalgaon, Tolma, Fagrasu, Long Segdi, Gahar, Bhangyul, Juwagwad and Jugju.

Nearly 100 ration kits have been supplied to the affected villages by helicopters to ensure they face no dearth of essentials.

Talking to reporters, Rawat said the priority is to get to those trapped inside the tunnel and save as many lives as possible.

Additional heavy machines could be pressed into service to expedite the process of clearing tonnes of debris inside the tunnel blocking the path of rescue personnel.

A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier possibly burst through its banks in Chamoli district on Sunday.It appeared to have triggered an avalanche and a deluge that ripped through the Alaknanda river system in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas.

Experts, however, are still trying to determine the exact cause of the disaster in Joshimath.

With PTI Inputs