Tragedy struck Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Sunday, 7 February, after flash floods triggered by a glacier burst left at least seven people dead and at least 170 missing.
The death toll is expected to rise as bodies are still being recovered, an NDRF official told ANI.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the kin of the deceased, the state government, too, has promised financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each.
A DRDO team of snow and avalanche experts from its newly-created Defence Geo-Informatics Research Establishment would be reaching the site on Monday to assess the situation, DRDO officials said.
At least 12 people who were trapped in the Tapovan Tunnel after it was blocked following the breach were rescued by the ITBP, while 30 others remain trapped.
Along with the ITBP, the Indian Army, the IAF, the NDRF and the NCMC have also been deployed for search and rescue operations.
The breach has triggered massive flooding along Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers.
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