RISHIKESH, India – Indian authorities on Sunday investigated after breaking part of a Himalayan glacier, which sent a massive flood of water and debris into two dams and damaged a number of houses. At least nine people were killed and 140 were missing.
The flooding caused a section of the Nanda Devi Glacier to break down in the Tapovan area of the northern state of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning. A video shared by officials and taken from the side of a steep hill shows a wall of water breaking up in one of the dams and breaking it into pieces with little resistance before roaring further downstream.
The Rishiganga hydroelectric power plant on the Alaknanda River has been destroyed, while the Dhauliganga hydroelectric power plant on the Dhauliganga river has been damaged, said Vivek Pandey, a spokesman for the paramilitary Indian Tibetan border police. Both rivers flow from the mountains of the Himalayas before merging with the Ganges River.
Pandey said all 12 workers trapped in a tunnel in the Dhauliganga project were rescued and given first aid. He said earlier that 16 people were trapped there.
Another 140 workers at the two plants are missing, Pandey said.
Surjeet Singh, a police officer, said nine bodies had been recovered so far amid intensified rescue operations.
Pandey said soldiers skilled in mountaineering and rescue operations have been called in.
“The situation is under control and there is no need to panic,” he said.
Officials said when the glacier broke, it sent water trapped behind it, as well as mud and other debris that had fallen off the mountain and into other bodies of water. Many villages were evacuated when the authorities issued an advice urging people living on the banks of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers to move to safer places immediately.
There were houses damaged during the flood, said Ravi Bejaria, a government spokesman, although he had no details on the number and whether any of the residents were injured, missing or killed.
Authorities emptied two dams further down the river to prevent the floodwaters from reaching the towns of Haridwar and Rishikesh, where popular tourist spots on the banks of the Ganges River have been closed and all boating activities stopped.
“We heard that a glacier had broken and that people were afraid that the water level would rise,” said Prince Chawla, a boat owner in Rishikesh. “But from now on, the water level here hasn’t really risen too much.”
Ashok Kumar, Uttarakhand police chief, said officials immediately warned residents living in the area and evacuated to safer places.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet that he was “constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation.” He added: “India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there.”
In 2013, thousands of people died in Uttarakhand after heavy rains caused landslides and floods, washing away thousands of homes and roads and cutting off communications in many parts of the state.