NDRF deploys cadaver dogs for Uttarkashi ops

The NDRF has decided to deploy its first-ever team of cadaver dogs to help locate those feared dead in the cloudburst incident in Uttarakhand, official sources said on Tuesday.

A pair of these dogs will be airlifted from Delhi even as three teams of the force, comprising 35 rescuers in each, have been rushed to the incident site from various locations in the state.

Two more National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are awaiting airlift from the Dehradun airport, they said.

Disaster swept through the Himalayan village of Dharali on the way to Gangotri on Tuesday with a massive cloudburst leading to flash floods that barrelled through homes, trees, and cars, trapping 60-70 people and leaving at least four dead.

Dharali is the primary stopover on the way to Gangotri, the origin of the Ganges, and home to many hotels, restaurants, and home stays.

A senior officer of the federal contingency force told PTI that cadaver dogs are being deployed in Uttarkashi to find bodies possibly buried beneath debris and slush, to ensure that the families of the victims can get closure.

In addition to cadaver dogs, regular dogs who can sniff and detect survivors buried under mud and slush are also being deployed, he said.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which has battalion bases in Uttarakhand's Matli and Mahidanada as part of its deployment to guard the India-China LAC, has also sent about 100 personnel for rescue operations and to assist the state administration.

Around 37 villagers, including 11 women and four children, were rescued from the area and evacuated to the ITBP border post named Kopang, a senior officer of the force said.

The NDRF has trained about half a dozen cadaver dogs, primarily from the Belgian Malinois and Labrador breeds. For their training, the force procured a special scent from abroad that smells akin to the odour emitted by a dead body.

''For all these years, the NDRF focused on its mandate of saving lives. Utilising the golden hour of finding life during a disaster has been the guiding principle of the rescuers, and hence, finding the dead or mortal remains was not a priority,'' a senior officer had recently told PTI.

However, the force has also been part of operations where NDRF personnel are tasked to retrieve bodies from under the debris, like in the aftermath of a landslide or train, or road accident, he said.

Finding bodies or human remains is important to ensure closure to the families and near and dear ones of the victims, the officer had said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)