Uttrakhand tragedy: Body of Kashmiri engineer retrieved after five days

SRINAGAR: NDRF rescuers pulled out the body of Kashmiri engineer Basharat Ahmad Zargar on Friday, five days after he was swept away in a glacier burst at Chamoli in Uttarakhand.

“Body of Er Basharat Ahmed Zargar has been recovered at Uttarakhand. His relations have expressed their desire to carry the body to Srinagar for last rites,” said Aamir Ali, director disaster management department, Kashmir.

Basharat’s body was found by NDRF near Reshiganga Power Project at 2.20 pm on Friday. Uttarakhand Deputy Inspector General, Law, and Oder, Nilesh Anand Bharne confirmed that Zargar’s body has been retrieved.

Zargar, working as general manager at Kundan group of companies, went missing when he was inspecting a tunnel at Chamoli on Sunday.

“We are trying to confirm from our people on the ground. They are in a state of shock,” said Asif Zargar, brother of Basharat.

An accomplished engineer, Basharat has been working with the Kundan group for the last two years.  

“He was here a few days before the tragedy. He had to go back to fix some mechanical fault at the site. On the morning of the fateful day, he called up his brother Shabir Ahmad. He told him that we will talk in detail once I reach home. When he called him back, his phone was switched off. Since then we have no contact with him”, said Asif.

Zargar was among two Jammu and Kashmir residents who went missing in the Uttarakhand glacier burst on Sunday. Jatinder Kotwal of Doda, who was working as a supervisor, continues to remain untraceable.