Scores missing as Himalayan glacier bursts in northern India

Scores missing as Himalayan glacier bursts in northern India.jpg

Seven people were reported dead and at least 125 people are missing in northern India after a piece of Himalayan glacier fell into a river, causing a torrent that buried two power plants and swept away roads and bridges, officials said on Sunday.

The flood was caused when a portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in the Tapovan area of the northern state of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning, sending flood waters crashing through the Dhauliganga river valley, destroying the Rishiganga hydropower plant, and damaging the Dhauliganga hydropower as well as villages and homes in the area.

"Seven bodies have been recovered from the site and rescue operations are going on," Uttarkhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat told reporters in the state capital, Dehra Dun.

Around 125 people are missing and that number is likely to rise more, said Rawat.

Video clips shared on social media taken from the side of steep hillside Sunday morning showed a wall of water surging into one of the power plants, breaking it into pieces with little resistance before continuing to roar downstream.

"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."

Am constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation in Uttarakhand. India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there. Have been continuously speaking to senior authorities and getting updates on NDRF deployment, rescue work and relief operations.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 7, 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was closely monitoring the situation.

"India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there," he said on Twitter after speaking with the state chief minister.

India's air force was being readied to help with rescue operations, the federal government said, while Home Minister Amit Shah said disaster-response teams were being airlifted in to help with relief and rescue.

"All the concerned officers are working on a war footing," Shah said on Twitter, referring to Uttarakhand by its nickname, the Hindi term for "land of the gods" – due to the numerous Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres located across the state.

The neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous, also put its riverside areas 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.

Praying for safety of All. Mahadev Bless #Uttarakhand #Chamoli pic.twitter.com/WbI4BcaL6n

— Bharat Temples (@BharatTemples_) February 7, 2021

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 metre 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.

Uma Bharti, India's former water resources minister and a senior leader of Modi's party, criticised the construction of a power project in the area.

"When I was a minister I had requested that Himalaya is a very sensitive place, so power projects should not be built on Ganga and its main tributaries," she said on Twitter, referring to the main river that flows from the mountain.

INDIA
NATURAL DISASTER
CLIMATE CHANGE