AMN

Rescue operation in the NTPC tunnel at Tapowan in Chamoli district continued throughout last night in Uttarakhand. 25 to 35 people are feared trapped in the tunnel. Rescuers have managed to recover two bodies from the Tunnel this morning.

She said that rescue work is going on all fronts, inside the tunnel as well as around the barrage. She said that the weather is clear now and rescue and search operation will continue round the clock. Till date 39 bodies have been recovered and around 165 people are still missing.

After almost seven days of continuous search operation the rescue teams have recovered two bodies from inside the main tunnel. Mucking from this main tunnel is going on continuously and the rescue team has reached till 136 meters in this tunnel which is said to be 180 meters long.

Vertical drilling with new and more powerful drilling machine also continued the whole night to expand the diameter of the hole which leads to another tunnel. Agencies are hoping that this second tunnel can give an idea about the trapped people.

Rescue work has also started on the barrage area over the tunnel where a maximum number of workers were working at that time when the flash flood came. Meanwhile, an SDRF team has reached the lake that has formed upstream of Raini village, near Tapovan and the situation there is normal.

A Manuel early warning system has also been established from Tapovan to pang village to in case of the sudden water rise in Dhauli Ganga river. These teams have been deputed at a certain distance and are equipped with binocular and satellite phones.