Death toll rises to 34 while 170 persons still missing
The death toll in the Chamoli disaster has risen to 34 with 170 persons still missing on Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, new technological aids were incorporated to rescue between 25 to 35 persons stuck in the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydro project tunnel with a little more than 100 metres of it being cleared of debris. The clearing of the debris is being hindered as the sludge is causing a backflow. The State Disaster Response (SDRF) has resorted to drones and sniffer dogs to aid in the search. To boost the search and rescue efforts in the tunnel, the SDRF DIG Ridhim Agarwal directed the use of drone and helicopter to conduct geographical mapping of the tunnel. This will ascertain the status of debris in the tunnel and other aspects which will aid the rescue operation.
In addition to this, thermal scanning or laser scanning would also help in gaining some information about the persons trapped in the tunnel. The digital data acquired from the mapping was being analysed by scientists.
Meanwhile, according to information provided by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) on Wednesday evening, while 206 persons were initially listed as missing, two persons of the Rishiganga company who were earlier stated to be missing were found safe at their home. Of the 204 missing persons, 34 bodies have been recovered of which nine have been identified so far.
According to a senior PWD engineer, geographical mapping through remote sensing is conducted on the site where a tunnel is to be constructed to acquire relevant data. Geo mapping using drones gets more data about the conditions in the ground. According to the SDRF, thermal scanning is done to check for signs of life but since its range is limited, laser scanning is resorted to get a thermal image of what is in the ground.
Earlier, the state police started a WhatsApp group on Tuesday for the family members of the missing persons with 86 family members contacting the police so far. The list of missing persons and description of recovered bodies is being shared on this group with two bodies being identified through it so far. The help of the state forensic science laboratory is also being taken or DNA sampling of the recovered bodies.
Thursday, 11 February 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
