Tiware Dam breach: Death toll mounts to 18

With the recovery of one more body, the death toll in Tiware Dam breach case rose to 18 on Thursday.

After heavy downpour in the area, Tiwari Dam here had breached on Wednesday, creating a flood-like situation downstream.

Several agencies including National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are carrying out rescue operations.

One body was found at least 35 km away from the dam, NDRF official Sachidanand Gawade said.

He said if the body is connected to the dam, the search area will be widened and the NDRF would have to do a more extensive search.

"We have received information that the body of a woman has been found 35 km away from the dam in Vashishti River. It's being ascertained if her death was in connection with this incident," Gawade said.

He said: "This is the peak monsoon season, not to mention the debris from the dam has also piled up in the river which is making it hard to search, but our teams are doing their best."

Talking about the cause of the breach, he said, "There must have been several reasons that contributed to the incident. Experts can comment on the cause of the incident and an investigation should be conducted.