Saving lives is the biggest challenge right now: Pokhriyal on Uttarakhand floods

Chamoli, Feb 09: As five more bodies have been recovered on Tuesday, the death toll from the Uttarakhand glacier disaster rose to 31 Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said saving lives is the biggest challenge right now.

Pokhriyal said teams of Army, NDRF, ITBP and SDRF are working day-night amid challenging situations to rescue people who are trapped and missing.

206 people are still missing and searches are underway for them, inform the minister.

A joint team of ITBP, NDRF, SDRF and other agencies conducting rescue operation used drone camera to see feasibility to enter beyond cleared site inside Tapovan tunnel.
ITBP, however, said they have not been successful so far.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also issued a statement in Rajya Sabha on the avalanche in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district and said all concerned agencies of Centre and State are monitoring the situation.

"PM himself is monitoring it. Both the control rooms of the Home Ministry are monitoring the situation round the clock and the state is being provided with all the possible help," he said.