Source : Economic Times A day after the glacier burst caused a major avalanche and floods in the Alaknanda river system, Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said 143 individuals are still missing. IAF teams left early on Monday to speed up relief operations for the avalanche-hit areas of Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, while rescuers pulled out three more bodies of the people missing in the glacier burst, bringing the toll to 10. Efforts are currently focused on saving 30-35 people stuck in the 250-meter-long Tapovan tube, he said. A total of "153 people were missing from the two Raini and Tapovan hydel projects, out of which 10 bodies were recovered, while 143 were still missing," Kumar said. He said the two hydel projects bore the brunt of the "one-time" mishap in which Raini's Rishi Ganga hydel project was completely destroyed and Tapovan's one suffered partial harm. While all plans are in place, there is no need in the affected areas for any heli rescue. The DGP said that only two villages, including Raini, are cut off where critical materials are supplied. In the high mountain areas, the sudden flood in the Dhauli Ganga, Rishi Ganga and Alaknanda rivers, all intricately related Ganga tributaries, caused widespread panic and large-scale destruction. As the waters flowed down the mountain sides in a roaring flood, houses along the way were also washed away. In human settlements downstream, there were fears of destruction, even in heavily populated areas. Several villages were evacuated and individuals were taken to safer areas.