Search and Rescue (SAR) teams on Monday recovered the first body of the nine missing army personnel from Harsil camp, 14 days after a flash flood devastated Dharali market. The exact identity of the soldier will be confirmed only after a DNA match with family members, officials said.
Police officials involved in the operation informed that the body, suspected to be that of an army personnel based on the uniform and clothing, was retrieved from debris deposited in the Bhagirathi riverbed. The debris had been washed down by Khir Gad river during the flash flood on August 5. The body was found nearly three kilometers downstream from Harsil village.
“The body recovered by the NDRF SAR team appears to be that of one of the nine missing soldiers from the camp. Army authorities have been informed. The exact identity will be established after DNA testing. The family of the deceased soldier has also been notified,” said Janak Singh Pawar, Circle Officer, Uttarkashi.
The recovery was made possible through the use of a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) machine by the NDRF team in the Jaal area of Harsil Valley. The radar can detect objects buried up to 40 meters deep under rubble.
Sharing details of other findings, NDRF Assistant Commandant RS Dhapola stated that radar images revealed a hotel and several individuals buried 8 to 10 feet deep under the debris in Dharali. Excavation work at these identified spots is currently underway.
A few days earlier, the SAR teams had also recovered the bodies of two mules and a cow from different locations. The rescue operations are divided into four sectors, with two teams each from the NDRF and SDRF engaged in the mission.
According to official records of the Uttarakhand government, around 70 people are still missing in the disaster, including nine army personnel and 25 Nepal-origin workers.