Chamoli, Uttarakhand: Update:
Eighteen people were confirmed dead on Monday and at least 200 others were missing after a devastating flash flood in India thought to have been caused by a chunk of glacier breaking off.
The resulting wall of water and debris barrelled down a tight valley in India's Himalayan north on Sunday morning, destroying bridges, roads and hitting two hydroelectric power plants.
More than 200 people feared missing
Over 200 people are feared missing following the glacier burst, which led to heavy flooding in Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers, said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Monday while adding that rescue operation is underway.
"Around 203 people are missing including 11 dead bodies are recovered as of now. We were not aware of a subsidiary company's project in Tapovan till yesterday. We are estimating that 35 people are stuck in another tunnel. Rescue operation is underway," said Rawat.
Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said Union Home Minister Amit Shah is reviewing the situation frequently.
"We are constantly receiving directions from the Centre with Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeping track. Home Minister Amit Shah is also reviewing the situation in every half an hour," Pokhriyal said.
"It is a very difficult situation, but ITBP successfully rescued people from the first tunnel and now they are working on the second tunnel which is approximately three kilometers long. NDRF and the military are also on it. By afternoon we can expect some positive results," he added.
Meanwhile, a team of SDRF-Uttarakhand Police carried out a search operation around Srinagar Dam.
"We were informed that 178 people were issued passes here (tunnel). Of which, 15 were rescued yesterday. The rescue operation is underway in another tunnel. There is a possibility that 35 people are stranded in it. Priority is to rescue them as soon as possible," said Neeru Garg, DIG Garhwal range.
MHA informed that the second tunnel's mouth has also been opened up. Slush and silt clearance is in progress.
On the other hand, aerial rescue and relief missions have resumed with Mi-17 and ALH helicopters flying from Dehradun to Joshimath with disaster relief teams on board said the Indian Air Force.
Tapovan Hydro-Electric Power Dam, also known as Rishi Ganga Project was completely washed off following a glacier burst in the Chamoli, said the Indian Air Force's initial report as Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) deployed at Joshimath has undertaken recce of the affected areas.
Rawat has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakhs each to the kin of those who lost their lives due to the glacial burst.
A glacial broke in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand on Sunday, which led to massive flooding in Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers and damaged houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project.
15 people rescued
Fifteen people have been rescued so far while 14 bodies have been recovered from different locations following the glacier burst in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, said Chamoli Police on Monday. At least 125 people remain unaccounted for.
"Relief and rescue operations continue for those stranded in the tunnel. Efforts are being made to open the way by reaching inside the tunnel with the help of JCB. So far, a total of 15 persons have been rescued and 14 bodies have been recovered from different places," Chamoli Police tweeted.
Hundreds of military personnel were deployed in the Indian Himalayas on Monday to help find at least 125 people unaccounted for after a part of a glacier broke away, setting off a torrent of water, rock and dust down a mountain valley.
Sunday's violent surge swept away a small hydro electric project called Rishiganga and damaged a bigger one further downstream.
Most of the missing were people working on the two projects, one of the many the government has been building deep in the mountains of Uttarakhand state as part of a development push.
Rescue workers were focused on a 2.5 km (1.5 miles) long tunnel where workers were believed trapped.
Vivek Pandey, a spokesman of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force, said 30-35 workers were believed to be inside the tunnel and that rescuers were trying to open its mouth and get inside.
There had been no voice contact yet with anyone in the tunnel, another official said.
'Washed away'
Videos on social media showed water surging through a small dam site, washing away construction equipment and bringing down small bridges.
"Everything was swept away, people, cattle and trees," Sangram Singh Rawat, a former village council member of Raini, the site closest to the glacier, told local media.
Some 400 soldiers have been deployed to the site in the remote mountains, state authorities said.
"We expect to carry on operations for the next 24 to 48 hours, " said Satya Pradhan, the chief of the National Disaster Response Force.
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