Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Monday said that as per the team of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) there was no glacier burst in Chamoli but rather it was the result of a sudden slide of snow accumulated on top of the mountain.

Rawat was at a meeting attended by senior officials of the state government along with a team of the armed forces and ITBP which has been engaged in rescue operations since Sunday, besides the team from ISRO.

Speaking to mediapersons, Rawat said, "I had a meeting with the officials including the team of armed forces, ITBP and scientists of ISRO. What ISRO told us is that two to three days ago there was heavy snowfall and then it slid from a trigger point...as lakhs of metric tonnes of snow slid off due to which this disaster happened."

When categorically asked if ISRO had indeed stated that it was not a glacier burst, the Chief Minister said, "The team of ISRO as per their report said that it was not a glacier burst. And it is also not an avalanche-prone area."

"We discussed all these points, they showed us the pictures also in which everything is clear, the mountains are completely clear. And then something triggers the event. And from there a part of the mountain slid down that led to the tragedy," Rawat added.

Rescue and relief work in the disaster-hit areas of Chamoli district gathered pace on Monday as a multi-agency operation continued in an effort to save 25 to 35 people trapped inside a tunnel of Tapovan-Vishnugaud project that was blocked by the Sunday morning deluge.

(IANS)