Uttarakhand glacier burst: Dog has been waiting outside Tapovan tunnel for three days for people he knew

In a heartwarming tale from the disaster-stricken Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, a dog has been staying put outside the Tapovan Tunnel for five days now waiting for people he knew to return. The Bhutia dog was said to born around the project site. The workers said the canine grew around them. 

The dog had gone downhill on Sunday evening, the day flood hit the area after the glacier burst. When he came back the next day, no one he knew was around.

As the rescue operation is underway to locate the people, a black Bhutia dog sits at the Tapovan hydel project site in an unending wait. According to a Times of India report, the dog is now being fed by the rescue workers at the Tapovan site. "The canine would leave only in the evening as rest of the workers retire for the day," the report quoted Rajinder Kumar, a rescue worker.

Meanwhile, rescue work at the tunnel in Tapovan was suspended temporarily on Thursday following rise in the water level in the Rishiganga river. Around 25-35 people are estimated to be trapped in the tunnel for over four days since the glacier burst.

"Rescue operation temporarily halted in Chamoli district due to a rise in the level of water in Rishiganga river. Orders have been given to vacate the areas downstream," DGP Uttarakhand Ashok Kumar told news agency ANI.