Uttarakhand police have performed the last rites of more than a dozen unidentified bodies and ten body parts a week a snow avalanche hit Chamoli district and triggered a flash flood which left 204 persons missing.
Director General of Police, Uttarakhand, Ashok Kumar, said 38 bodies and 19 body parts have been recovered from different places.
Also read: Uttarakhand flood disaster | Relief operation continues in Chamoli
“The bodies and body parts had started deteriorating. As per the procedure after waiting for 72 hours (for a family member to claim the body), the police performed the last rites after preserving the DNA samples. As and when the family members arrive, it will be matched and the persons identified,” Mr. Kumar told The Hindu.
The DGP said that so far all reports have suggested that a big piece of Trishul peak at an altitude of 19,000 feet broke away and the ensuing avalanche caused a flash flood in the downstream Rishi Ganga river.