The 136 people currently missing in the aftermath of a glacier burst in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district have been declared dead. The toll in the calamity that hit the Rishiganga valley on February 7 has now risen to 68 while 136 people are still missing. The NTPC's Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project had been extensively damaged in the flash flood while the Rishiganga hydel project was totally destructed.
The number of bodies recovered from the intake Adit tunnel of Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project where a massive search operation has been under way ever since the tragedy struck still stands at 13. Besides, 28 human limbs have also been recovered from different places in the affected area out of which one has been identified. Thirty-three bodies out of the 62 recovered so far have also been identified, police said, adding the DNAs of unidentified bodies are being preserved.
The glacial burst over Rishiganga had triggered an avalanche which had demolished a 13.2 MW hydel project along the river besides causing extensive damage to the NTPC's Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project along Dhauliganga.
-Inputs from PTI
