Chamoli (Uttarakhand): Between 100 and 150 people are feared dead after a glacier broke off at Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, triggering an avalanche and massive flooding of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers on Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, three bodies have been recovered from the NTPC power plant in the area so far.
Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Om Prakash said overall 100 to 150 are feared dead.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat tweeted to say teams from the police, the Army and the ITBP, as well as from the national and state disaster response forces, have been deployed and “are doing their best to save the lives of the workers at sites affected by the disaster”.
The CM also said rescue teams were working to locate and save around 160 people working at the NTPC and Rishiganga power plant sites.
Authorities also fear for the safety of labourers at road and rail projects in affected areas. Sixteen people who had been trapped in an underground tunnel at the Tapovan dam are safe and efforts to rescue them are ongoing, Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar told ANI.
Also Read: [Watch] Glacier Breaks In Uttarakhand, Triggers Avalanche & Massive Floods