New Delhi – Nearly 30 people have died and nearly 200 more are still missing on Monday after a huge piece of a Himalayan glacier in Uttarakhand state in northern India broke and fell into a river, causing an avalanche and massive deluge that dams and hydropower washed away plants and various bridges and roads.
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Most of the missing were said to have been washed away by two hydroelectric power plants hit along the Dhauli Ganga River. About 150 people working on a large power plant under construction, and 21 more from the Rishiganga facility further upstream were missing.
The Rishaganga power plant was in operation when it was completely destroyed on Sunday by the wall of water unleashed by the partial collapse of the Nanda Devi glacier.
A frantic rescue operation was underway to reach more than 30 people trapped in a 1.5 mile tunnel at one of the facilities, where mud and debris made the operation difficult.
“Some of the people in the tunnel are probably alive or half alive, we’re trying to save them,” Ashok Kumar, the director general of Uttarakhand State, told CBS News.
Kumar confirmed to CBS News that the bodies of 26 people had been recovered. He said rescue operations are likely to continue through Tuesday morning.
Hundreds of paramilitary soldiers and police officers were sent to assist in the rescue operations. Video of the scene showed heavy construction equipment moving mud and military helicopters circling the ground above teams. As of Monday afternoon local time, at least 25 people had been rescued, including a man pulled from a mud-covered tunnel.
Authorities evacuated thousands of people from various villages near another affected river, the Alaknanda, but authorities said on Monday that the flood threat was over. Food was air dripped onto areas cut off by the road when floodwaters washed away bridges and roads.
“India is behind Uttarakhand and the nation is praying for everyone’s safety,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter. He said he was “constantly monitoring the situation”.
Climate change in a vulnerable region
The state of Uttarakhand is located along the western Himalayan mountains and has experienced several flash floods and landslides in the past. More than 6,000 people were killed, left missing, or presumed dead in 2013, when heavy monsoon rains caused massive flooding.
Environmentalists have long voiced concern about the large dams being built in the rivers of the state and have campaigned against development on the flood plains.
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Experts were quick to say that the partial glacier collapse on Sunday could be linked to climate change.
“This is very similar to climate change as the glaciers are melting as a result of global warming,” says Dr. Anjal Prakash, a principal investigator in the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He told CBS News that the impact of global warming on glaciers was well documented, and a recent report found that temperatures in the Himalayan region were on the rise.
“There is no doubt that global warming has led to the warming of the region,” said Dr. Farooq Azam, a professor of glaciology and hydrology. “Climate change caused erratic weather patterns such as more snowfall and rainfall [and] warmer winters have resulted in the melting point of much snow. “