Bhadrak: A youth from Odisha has gone missing in the Uttarakhand glacier burst that took place on Sunday. As many as 26 bodies have been recovered and at least 197 people are missing so far after a flash flood inundated a power project at Raini village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.
The youth from Odisha has been identified as Nagarjuna Das, son of one Rabindra Das of Kuda village under Chandbali block in Bhadrak.
According to sources, Nagarjuna was working as a crane operator and his whereabouts after the disaster on Sunday is unknown.
Meanwhile, Nagarjuna's family members have approached the district administration and informed about his disappearance.
"I last spoke to him on Sunday at 10 am. Now his mobile phone is not reachable. I request the government to bring my son back to home," said Shantilata Das, mother of Nagarjuna.
The Uttarakhand government on Monday had said that 18 bodies were recovered so far while 202 people are still missing.
According to Uttarakhand government's statement, about 25-35 people are trapped inside a tunnel, and the operation to rescue them is underway. The state government said the people trapped inside the tunnel are also included in the list of the 202 missing people.
An ITBP official said that 21 people from Rhitwik company, 100 from the associate company of Rhitwik, three from HCC Company, 21 from Om Metal, two persons each from Tapovan, Ringi and Karchao village, 46 people from Rishi Ganga Company and five people from Raini village are still missing.
The tragedy took place after the water level in the Dhauliganga river, one of the six sources of the Ganga river, suddenly surged on Sunday morning following an avalanche near the Rishi Ganga power project. The 85 km river meets the Alaknanda river at Vishnuprayag at the base of Joshimath mountain.
The ITBP said the flash flood occurred in Rishi Ganga at around 10.45 a.m. due to a glacier falling into it, thereby exponentially increasing the volume of water.
Due to this, the Rishi Ganga hydro project was completely devastated, it said.
Around 425 personnel of the ITBP, 70 personnel of the SDRF, 129 personnel of the NDRF and 124 from the Armed forces are carrying out the rescue and search operations in the area.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)