Uttarakhand disaster toll rises to 38, 166 still missing

The toll in the Uttarakhand disaster has mounted to 38, while 166 are still missing, the Chamoli district administration said on Friday.

Two more bodies were recovered on Friday. One body was recovered from the rubble at the demolished Rishi Ganga Hydel Project in Raini and the other from Maithana, district administration officials said.

Moreover, noticing subsequent rise and fall in the water level of the Rishi Ganga river, the district administration has issued an alert, appealing to people to not go near the river after sunset.

Meanwhile, RK Ahirwar, General Manager, NTPC and project



in-charge, said new machines are to be brought in for rescue operations.

"We will bring another vehicle to the site, with that we will be able to do large sized-drillings. When that hole is done, we will tell you about our further plans...Drilling of rocks is done and we have reached the tunnel. There can be either slush or water in there," RP Ahirwar was quoted by ANI as saying.

"Our calculation was accurate and we've punctured the safety tunnel at mark of 11.6 metres. The pressure is released. Our drills are in place which is a good sign. We'll widen the hole so that pumping can be attempted," RP Ahirwar said.