Uttarakhand Glacier Burst: Blackie the dog waited outside the flooded Tapovan tunnel for days.
Updated: February 16, 2021 12:23 pm IST
Blackie the dog has been waiting outside a tunnel for days (AFP
A dog, affectionately named Blackie, spent days waiting outside the sludge-choked Tapovan tunnel in Uttarakhand as rescue teams battled against odds to save those trapped inside. The dog has been waiting at the site of the Tapovan hydel project for his caretakers after the Uttarakhand glacier burst on February 7 triggered a devastating flash flood in the state s Chamoli district.
Blackie was born near the site and grew up around the people who worked there.
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As rescuers continue round-the-clock operation to pull out those believed to be stuck inside a tunnel in Tapovan area after last Sunday s (February 7) flash floods, a geologist has alerted the authorities of impending danger by a lake formed by debris of the avalanche. The lake has blocked the path of Rishiganga river.Â
In a video shared by Garhwal University Geologist Dr Naresh Rana, it can be clearly seen that the river flow has been blocked by debris resulting in formation of a huge lake. The breach of the lake could trigger another devastating flash flood in the region and hamper the rescue work downstream.Â
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Rescue operations underway at Tapovan Tunnel
More than two days have passed since the flash flood struck Uttarakhand s Chamoli district. So far, 32 bodies have been recovered and over 170 people are still missing. Hopes of finding any more survivors at the two power project sites Tapovan and Rishi Ganga are dimming but agencies race against time to rescue those trapped.Â
According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, around 30 workers feared trapped inside a tunnel at the Tapovan power project.Â
On Tuesday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat visited Lata in Chamoli district on Tuesday to meet the residents of the avalanche-hit villages. Rawat, who reached Tapovan on Monday evening to review rescue efforts, undertook an aerial survey of the affected areas on Tuesday and also met 12 workers who were rescued from the tunnel on Sunday evening.
Late Tuesday night - nearly 60 hours after a glacier burst in Uttarakhand's Chamoli unleashed a avalanche that trapped between 30 and 35 people inside the 2.5 km-long Tapovan tunnel - rescue teams finally managed to clear some of the debris