Rescuers on Sunday found 13 bodies, including six from the tunnel where 25-35 people are reportedly trapped at the disaster-hit Tapovan project in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, officials said.
The six bodies were found during the excavation work inside the tunnel, state police spokesperson said, DIG Nilesh Anand Bharne.
This is the first time since the February 7 floods that the rescuers have found bodies inside the tunnel.
“We are expecting more bodies as hopes are receding for survival of those trapped,” a top official admitted. There is still no contact with the remaining trapped people inside.
Officials also said that the rescue work had been speeded up with the installation of some additional machines like excavators on Saturday.
Presently, the rescuers are working on two strategies – drilling a big hole vertically downward on one hand and digging and excavating debris and sludge inside the tunnel on the other.
Two days ago, the rescue workers had started…