The toll in the Uttarakhand glacier disaster rose to 32, while 197 people were still missing, The Hindu reported on Tuesday. Meanwhile, rescuers managed to enter the Tapovan tunnel, where around 35 people are still trapped.
A video shows personnel from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force clear the debris and carefully enter the tunnel. Inside the dark tunnel, the rescuers use torches to wade through the slush.
An unidentified ITBP official told The Hindu that the rescuers had to clear a 60-metre patch of debris and slush before they could hope to make contact with the people trapped inside the 2.5 kilometre-long tunnel. The official added that clearing that patch was proving to be very challenging.
#WATCH: A joint team of ITBP, NDRF, SDRF & other sister agencies entered into the tunnel (being cleared off debris). Drone camera used to see the feasibility to enter beyond the cleared site inside the tunnel….