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| The Himalayan glacier collapses in India on the 7th and the river is pouring down. © Reuters |
AFP and BBC reported that about 200 people were lost due to a river flood that occurred when a portion of the Himalayan glacier collapsed on the 7th in India. Two power plants were damaged by the river water that poured down like a tsunami, and roads and bridges were washed away by the river. Most of the missing people were workers working in power plants.
At 11:30 a.m. on that day, a glacier fell into the upper valley of the river in Nanda Devi National Park in Uttarakhand state, shaking the Dawley and Rishi rivers. Residents were frightened and captured in a video of an enormous amount of water sweeping the valley of Dawley. One local resident said, “After the water swept, there was a cloud of dust and the ground shook like an earthquake.”
Police chief Ashok Kumar said, “Most of the missing people are workers at the two power plants.” Added.
Twenty workers were trapped in the tunnel and more than 16 were managed to rescue. Local media reported that 30 people were trapped in another tunnel, and rescue operations were being carried out overnight. Some media reported about 125 missing persons, and it is known that 7 bodies have been recovered to date.
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| Rescuers are helping people who were trapped or killed by a river tsunami in India on the 7th. © Reuters = News 1 |
India emptied two dams to prevent overflowing water from flowing into the Ganges, and forbids residents to get close to the Ganges.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was watching the rescue efforts. “India is with Uttarakhand and we are praying for the safety of everyone there,” he tweeted.
The Himalayan Uttarakhand is a region prone to floods and landslides, and in June 2013, a record heavy rain called the Himalayan Tsunami caused close to 6,000 deaths.
Nanda Devi National Park is a park located at 7800 meters in the Himalayas, with about 14 glaciers overlooking the river. The region was at increased risk of glaciers falling and massive landslides due to climate change and deforestation.
Environmental activists and residents have opposed hydropower projects in the region, saying that indiscriminately developing roads, railroads, and power plants in climate change and ecologically sensitive areas could have devastating consequences.