Chamoli disaster: 6 more bodies recovered; death toll reaches 68, 136 missing
- Among the six bodies, five were found on Saturday late night while one was found on Sunday morning.

The rescue and search agencies involved in the Chamoli tragedy in Uttarakhand found six more bodies at the disaster site till Sunday evening taking the death toll to 68 with 136 still missing.
Among the six bodies, five were found on Saturday late night while one was found on Sunday morning.
Swati Bhadauria, district magistrate Chamoli, said, "The five bodies were recovered near the barrage at NTPC's hydel power project in Tapovan while another was recovered from the project's 1.7 kilometre-long tunnel where the rescue workers are continuously working to clear the muck after 35 workers were reported trapped inside."
She informed that out of the total bodies recovered, 34 have been identified while as many are yet to be identified.
Bhadauria added, "Till now, a total of 14 bodies have been recovered from the tunnel which is in the focus of the rescue operation. The remaining bodies were recovered from various other places."
Also read: 'Govts elected to ease burden of people' - Sonia Gandhi to PM on fuel price hike
She also informed that "The rescue workers have been able to clear the muck up to a distance of about 162 metres in the Tapovan tunnel but are facing difficulty due to the continuous outflow of water from inside."
Meanwhile, the rescue workers are also scanning the Alaknanda river downstream of the disaster site to search for bodies.
"About 70 personnel in 12 teams of the SDRF are searching bodies in the river from Raini village to Srinagar in Pauri Garhwal district alongside the river covering four districts of Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal and Pauri Garhwal. After recovering the bodies, their DNA samples are being collected for a DNA test with that of their family members to ascertain their identification," said Praveen Alok, SDRF spokesperson.
Of the total 204 missing initially in the disaster, 139 are from NTPC’s Tapovan power plant and 53 from the Rishi Ganga project that was also damaged in the disaster caused by a rockslide and the formation of a glacial lake in the mountainous terrain. About 12 villagers living in the vicinity are also missing.
The disaster also washed away the lone bridge located near the Rishi Ganga hydel power project, cutting off 12 villages namely Lata, Bhangyul, Raini Chak Subhai, Juvagwar, Jugju, Reni Chal Lata, Pang Muranda Gahar, Tolma, Bhalgaon, Pagrasu and Loung Segdi. About 465 families living in those villages have been impacted.
-
Kangra ‘Tridev Sammelan’: Lotus will bloom again in Himachal, says Smriti Irani
Union minister for women and child development Smriti Irani on Friday made a scathing attack on Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi. Irani addressed the party's “Trident Sammelan” at the Kangra's Chambi ground. She castigated the Congress and accused it of hampering the development of the state. Irani described the Atal tunnel in Rohtang as a gift of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Himachal Pradesh. She said the BJP broke the precedence set by the Congress regime.
-
Ludhiana: Gang of robbers busted with arrest of seven
The CIA staff of Ludhiana police have solved two cases - a carjacking at Alamgir Road on April 8 and a robbery attempt at a finance company on April 16, with the arrest of seven members of a gang. SSP of Ludhiana rural, Deepak Hilori, said that a countrymade pistol and three live cartridges were recovered from Harpreet's possession.
-
Court attaches Ludhiana MC chief’s official vehicle for failing to take up devp work in Juhi Enclave
The permanent lok adalat (public utility services) has attached the Ludhiana MC commissioner's official vehicle and other movable property after the civic body failed to implement its order issued on December 4, 2020, to take up development work in Juhi Enclave on Jassiyan Road (Haibowal). As per information, residents of the Juhi Enclave had moved court seeking the construction of a road in the area.
-
A day after three men were arrested for the murder of a 35-year-old man who was found dead on the railway tracks near Jassian village on May 17, police investigation has revealed that the accused had pushed Harwinder onto the way of a moving train, which resulted in a severe head injury and ultimately, his death. A local court on Friday sent the accused to three days in police remand.
-
Ludhiana: Remains of cows found floating in Sirhind Canal
Panic gripped the Machhiwara area after locals found remains of cows floating in the Sirhind Canal near Pawat Bridge on Friday. They informed the police and deputy superintendent of police (DSP, Samrala) Harwinder Singh Khaira and sub-inspector Vijay Kumar, station house officer at Machhiwara police station reached the spot and initiated investigation. Divers were also deployed and they found polythene bags which were used to dump the remains. A suspect is yet to be identified.