18 dead, 200 missing after Indian glacier disaster
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. "There was a cloud of dust as the water went by. The ground shook like an earthquake," local inhabitant Om Agarwal told Indian TV.
Most of those missing were working at the two power plants. Some were trapped in two tunnels cut off by the floods and by mud and rocks.
"If this incident happened in the evening, after work hours, the situation wouldn't have been this bad as laborers and workers in and around the work sites would have been at home," Rawat told reporters.
Twelve people were rescued from one of the tunnels on Sunday but 25-35 more were still trapped in the second one, state disaster relief official Piyoosh Rautela told AFP.
With the main road washed away, paramilitary rescuers had to scale down a hillside on ropes to reach the entrance. Emergency workers were using heavy machinery to remove tons of rocks.
"Approximately 80 meters inside the tunnel is cleared and accessible. It appears that approximately 100 meters of debris inside the tunnel is yet to be cleared," said Vivek Kumar Pandey, another disaster official.
Several hundred rescue workers resumed their search operation at first light on Monday including national and state disaster response teams, the army and navy diving teams.
Scores of social media users captured the disaster, with footage showing water tearing through the narrow valley with terrifying force.
"We were 300 meters inside the tunnel working. Suddenly there was whistling and shouting telling us to get out," said survivor Rajesh Kumar, 28.
"We started running out but the water gushed in. It was like scenes from a Hollywood movie. We thought we wouldn't make it," he told AFP.
Authorities said initially that the cause was a chunk of glacier breaking off into a river.
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. "There was a cloud of dust as the water went by. The ground shook like an earthquake," local inhabitant Om Agarwal told Indian TV.
Police personnel prepare in Srinagar of Uttarakhand state on February 7, 2021 after a glacier broke off in Chamoli district causing flash floods in the Dhauli Ganga river. Photo: VCG
The Uttarakhand state government said on Monday 18 bodies have been recovered, and chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said at least 200 people were still unaccounted for.Most of those missing were working at the two power plants. Some were trapped in two tunnels cut off by the floods and by mud and rocks.
"If this incident happened in the evening, after work hours, the situation wouldn't have been this bad as laborers and workers in and around the work sites would have been at home," Rawat told reporters.
Twelve people were rescued from one of the tunnels on Sunday but 25-35 more were still trapped in the second one, state disaster relief official Piyoosh Rautela told AFP.
With the main road washed away, paramilitary rescuers had to scale down a hillside on ropes to reach the entrance. Emergency workers were using heavy machinery to remove tons of rocks.
"Approximately 80 meters inside the tunnel is cleared and accessible. It appears that approximately 100 meters of debris inside the tunnel is yet to be cleared," said Vivek Kumar Pandey, another disaster official.
Several hundred rescue workers resumed their search operation at first light on Monday including national and state disaster response teams, the army and navy diving teams.
Scores of social media users captured the disaster, with footage showing water tearing through the narrow valley with terrifying force.
"We were 300 meters inside the tunnel working. Suddenly there was whistling and shouting telling us to get out," said survivor Rajesh Kumar, 28.
"We started running out but the water gushed in. It was like scenes from a Hollywood movie. We thought we wouldn't make it," he told AFP.
Authorities said initially that the cause was a chunk of glacier breaking off into a river.
RELATED ARTICLES
