At least 140 people are missing and nine were killed in India after part of a glacier broke in the Himalayas on Sunday, sending powerful flooding to nearby hydroelectric power stations.
Part of the Nanda Devi Glacier broke off Sunday morning, sending a torrent of trapped water into other waters in the northern state of Uttarakhand. The Associated Press reported.
Rescue teams, including more than 2,000 military personnel, paramilitaries and police, were deployed to try to rescue those trapped by the disaster that experts attribute to climate change and global warming.
Vivek Pandey, a spokesman for the paramilitary Indo-Tibetan Border Police, said the wave of water and debris wiped out the hydropower plant on the Alaknanda River and damaged a factory built on the Dhauliganga River, the AP said.
He said at least 42 workers were trapped in tunnels at the Dhauliganga factory, of which 12 were rescued.
“Rescue workers used ropes and shovels to reach the opening of the tunnel. They dug through the rubble and entered the tunnel. They have yet to get in touch with the stranded people, ”said Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Uttarakhand’s chief elected official, according to the AP.
The flood led to the evacuations of several villages along both rivers, and Ravi Bejaria, a government spokesman, said it had damaged homes without releasing information as to whether residents were injured, missing or killed.
Earlier Sunday, Chief Secretary Om Prakash said 100 to 150 people were feared dead, Reuters reported.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he is “constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation”.
“India is behind Uttarakhand and the nation is there praying for everyone’s safety,” he posted.
Constantly monitor the unfortunate situation in Uttarakhand. India is behind Uttarakhand and the nation is there praying for everyone’s safety. I have continuously spoken with higher authorities and received updates on NDRF deployment, rescue and relief operations.
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 7, 2021
Flash floods and landslides have often hit the state, including a monsoon in June 2013 that killed thousands of people. Experts have warned about plants and projects in the area due to environmental risks.