"chamoli"

Rescue teams have been battling against odds to reach out to the trapped people at the site of the flood-ravaged Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project.

Till Wednesday, about 120 metres of slush from the mouth of the tunnel was cleared and those trapped inside were stated to be located somewhere at the depth of 180 metres.

A joint team of ITBP, NDRF, SDRF and other agencies conducting rescue operations used drone cameras to see feasibility to enter beyond cleared site inside Tapovan tunnel.

Rescue teams comprising the Army, ITBP, NDRF and SDRF personnel have made little headway beyond 100 metres inside the tunnel as debris has been constantly flowing in.

With the hours ticking by inexorably, fears escalated about those missing since the disaster struck on Sunday morning, according to officials who stepped up efforts to locate survivors.

A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier possibly burst through its banks in Chamoli district on Sunday.

The 202 still missing include those working at hydel power project sites as well as villagers nearby whose homes were washed away with the force of the raging waters.

ITBP teams were seen clearing the over 1,500-metre-long tunnel, which is executed till over 1,329 metres, using earthmovers driven by local workers.

Nearly 150 people were still feared missing and many killed and as many as 14 bodies have been recovered after the tragic incident that took place on Sunday morning.

ITBP, Indian Army, the SDRF and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) forces are engaged in the retrieval in the affected areas.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police guards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said it is a matter of relief that the flow of the Alaknanda River beyond Nandprayag has become normal.

The disaster caused a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river in Uttarakhand and endangering the lives of people living along its banks.