Uttarakhand disaster: Rescue operations continue in Chamoli

About 26 dead bodies have been recovered while 171 people are still missing after an apparent glacier burst in Uttarakhand. Multiple agencies are working in an overnight operation to rescue others who are still trapped. Officials at the State Emergency Operation Centre reported the recovery of more bodies and feared the death toll would rise, a day after a portion of the Nanda Devi glacier possibly burst through its banks in Chamoli district. It appeared to have triggered an avalanche and a deluge that ripped through the Alaknanda river system in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured a delegation of Uttarakhand MPs of his government’s support to the people of the state and said it is working to strengthen infrastructure there to deal with any natural disaster in future.