64 people from state still missing in Uttarakhand flood

The body of five people from the state have been recovered; three from Lakhimpur Kheri and one each from Saharanpur and Aligarh.

Relief Commissioner Sanjay Goel said, “Of the total 92 people missing in the incident, we are yet to get any information about 64 of them.” He added that they were regularly upgrading their list as per information and making all arrangements to ensure safe return of the people traced.

Most of the missing and dead labourers were working at NTPC’s Tapovan Vishnugad hydro power project and the privately owned Rishiganga power project.

Among the five deceased includes 23-year-old Vicky Kumar from Saharanpur’s Manoharpur village whose family recovered his right hand. Several families of the missing people from UP, including Vicky’s brother Ankit, have been camping in Chamoli waiting for good news.

“Among the body parts found, Ankit identified a hand as of his brother. He identified it with the help of a jacket and burn marks. The Uttarakhand government collected the DNA sample of the hand and later handed it over to Vicky,” said Additional District Magistrate, Saharanpur, Vinod Kumar.

Kumar is among the four government officials sent to Joshimath in Uttarakhand to oversee relief operations and coordinate with the state.

He added the government would collect blood samples of Vicky’s family for DNA profiling. Vicky had gone to the Rishiganga power project three days before the flash flood. His family on Friday conducted the final rites of the hand.

Other four deceased are Awadesh, Suraj and Vimlesh from Lakhimpur Kheri, and Ajay Sharma from Aligarh. Except for Vimlesh, the bodies arrived in UP and their families cremated them. Vimlesh’s body was on its way to Lakhimpur Kheri, said a government official.