Sniffer dogs and heavy mechanical equipment, including bulldozers and JCBs, were also deployed.
At least 35 persons have been rescued in an overnight operation between Monday and Tuesday from the tunnel in Tapovan, Uttarakhand. According to the officials at the State Emergency Operation Centre, 26 bodies have been recovered so far, a day after a portion of the Nanda Devi glacier burst through its banks in Chamoli district. At least 171 persons are still missing.
The rescue operation continued even in the break of the day by SDRF personnel along with members of other rescue teams who have been engaged the entire while in saving lives.
Rescue efforts in the affected areas near Joshimath gained momentum with teams of the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) coordinating to rescue 30-35 people feared trapped in a tunnel at the Tapovan-Vishnugad project.
Sniffer dogs and heavy mechanical equipment, including bulldozers and JCBs, were also deployed.