Chamoli (Uttarakhand): At least nine bodies have been recovered from the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) site in the Tapovan area following the glacier burst in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, said Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Sunday. At least 150 were missing in northern India after a broken glacier caused a major river surge that swept away bridges and roads on Sunday, police said.
The massive burst of water tore through the Dhauliganga river valley, destroying everything in its path, videos taken by terrified residents showed. Three bodies had been found and a desperate search was underway for more, police said, and efforts are underway to clear villages in the stricken region of Uttarakhand state.
A police spokesperson in the state told AFP, "Our last update puts the missing persons number at 150, and there are 16 or 17 persons trapped inside a tunnel."
Most of those missing were at the Tapovan power plant next to a dam that was breached by the surge. Emergency workers were desperately trying to reach about 17 people trapped inside a tunnel at the complex that had been filled with debris.
Scores of mobile phone videos shared on social media showed the massive burst of water tearing through a narrow valley below the power plant, leaving roads and bridges destroyed in its wake. Most of the villages being evacuated are on hillsides overlooking the river, which is a tributary of the Ganges.
"The actual number has not been confirmed yet," but 100 to 150 people were feared dead, Om Prakash, chief secretary of Uttarakhand state where the incident happened, told Reuters.
An eyewitness in said he saw a wall of dust, rock and water as an avalanche roared down a river valley.
"It came very fast, there was no time to alert anyone," Sanjay Singh Rana, who lives on the upper reaches of Raini village, told Reuters by phone. "I felt that even we would be swept away." Locals fear that people working at a nearby hydro-power project had been swept away, as well as villagers roaming near the river looking for firewood or grazing their cattle, Rana said.
"We have no idea how many people are missing," he said.
India has also put many of its northern districts on high alert.
Footage shared by locals showed the water washing away parts of the dam as well as whatever else was in its path.
Videos on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed water surging through a small dam site, washing away construction equipment.
"The flow of the Alaknanda River beyond Nandprayag (stretch) has become normal," Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said on Twitter.
"The water level of the river is now 1 meter above normal but the flow is decreasing." Uttarakhand in the Himalayas is prone to flash floods and landslides. In June 2013, record rainfall caused devastating floods that claimed close to 6,000 lives.
That disaster was dubbed the "Himalayan tsunami" by the media due to the torrents of water unleashed in the mountainous area, which sent mud and rocks crashing down, burying homes, sweeping away buildings, roads and bridges.
Earlier reports
Chamoli (Uttarakhand): There was a massive flood in Uttarakhand's Joshimath area due to the water level in Dhauliganga river suddenly crossing its regular flow on Sunday morning followed by an avalanche near a power project at the Reni village of Chamoli district.
The incident took place near the Reni village, which is 26km far from Joshimath. The Dhauliganga river got flooded and destroyed many houses situated at the river banks.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) said that there was some cloudburst or breaching of the reservoir at around 10 a.m. which resulted in the flooding in Dhauliganga -- one of the six source streams of the Ganges river. The 85km river meets the Alaknanda River at Vishnuprayag at the base of Joshimath mountain in Uttarakhand.
Several labourers working at the Rishi Ganga hydroelectric power project were feared missing after a glacier broke.
A dam of the Tapovan power project was breached and feared to have been washed away.
ITBP and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel have been rushed to the affected areas to evacuate stranded people.
"Casualties feared. Hundreds of ITBP men rushed for rescue," the ITBP said.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has convened an emergency meeting to take stock of the situation and to supervise rescue and relief operations.
Though the impact of the disaster may not be felt in Rishikesh and Haridwar, the towns have been put on alert.
A government spokesman said that there was not much human habitation at the site where the glacier broke but a number of power projects have been hit.
The government has also appealed to the people not to venture near the Ganga river.
UP on high alert
Authorities in Uttar Pradesh has been put on high alert after a part of Nanda Devi Glacier broke in Uttarakhand, official sources said on Sunday.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed all District Magistrates of UP districts situated along the Ganga river to be on high alert and monitor water levels continuously, a government spokesman said.
"If required, people will be evacuated to safe places. National Disaster Response Force, SDRF and Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary have also been put on highest alert," the spokesman said.
- IANS, AFP, Reuters
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