Uttarakhand glacier burst: 10 dead, 384 rescued; rescue ops underway

Ten people have died and 384 people have been rescued by the Indian Army after the glacier burst incident in Uttarakhand. Eight people are still missing in the incident. Heavy snowfall has hampered the rescue operations and the rescue team is also stuck.

Joshimath: Indian Army on Saturday said that they have recovered ten bodies and rescued 384 people while they were working to clear the slides en route after the glacier burst incident in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district. Eight people are still unaccounted for.

"384 persons have been rescued so far. 6 of them are critical and currently under medical treatment. 10 bodies have been recovered. Rescue operation in progress," said Indian Army.

"BRTF teams from Joshimath working to clear the slides en route from Bhapkund to Sumna since last evening. It's expected to take another 6-8 hrs to clear this complete axis," Army said.

Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat conducted an aerial survey of Sumna area of Joshimath Sector in Chamoli district and took stock of the situation.

He said, "HM Amit Shah called us up last night. NDRF & District Administration are on the job. ITBP and BRO were informed. Rescue was done quickly. I did an aerial survey today. BRO is carrying out the operation but the connectivity remains affected."

Heavy snowfall has hampered the search and rescue operations carried out by the district administration, NDRF, SDRF and BRO teams. The officials said that heavy snowfall has halted the rescue operations and efforts are underway to clear the path. Few officials of the rescue team are also stuck amid the heavy snowfall.

The glacier burst reportedly took place because of heavy snowfall in the region.

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A Border Road Organisation (BRO) detachment and two labour camps exist nearby for road construction work along this axis. An Army camp is located three kilometres from Sumna village.

"The area has experienced heavy rains and snow since last 5 days, which is still continuing," the force said.

A glacier burst took place in Sumna village near the India-China border in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday night. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said the water level in the Rishi Ganga river has risen by two feet.

Army helicopters are being used for the airlifting of the injured of the avalanche in Sumna area of Joshimath Sector in Chamoli district. They are being brought to Joshimath and being admitted to Army Hospital here.

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In February, a glacier burst incident had taken place at Joshimath in Chamoli district, leading to a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river and causing large-scale devastation. Over 50 bodies were recovered and hundreds were declared missing.

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With agency inputs