Uttarakhand: At least 150 labourers missing, 8 bodies recovered

Dehradun/New Delhi: At least 150 labourers working at the Tapovan power project are feared dead or missing even as 8 bodies have been recovered, an ITBP spokesperson said after a glacier burst in Uttarakhand on Sunday triggering flash flood disaster.

The spokesperson added that due to the collapse of at least three bridges in Reni village, including one of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), connectivity with some of their border posts has been “totally restricted”.

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

“More than 100 labourers working at barrage and 50 plus working at a tunnel are feared dead or missing as per the site in-charge of Tapovan and the local administration. Three bodies have been recovered till now,” ITBP spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey said in Delhi.

He said over 250 personnel of the border force are involved in the rescue work at present.

About 16-17 labourers are safe inside the tunnel at Tapovan and the teams are clearing debris to rescue them, he said.