According to officials, the death toll in India due to a flash flood caused by the collapse of a Himalayan glacier rose to at least 26 on Monday.
The broken piece of the Nanda Devi Glacier caused a wall of water and debris to run down a valley early Sunday, bursting through two dams and destroying bridges and roads when it hit two hydroelectric power stations.
A team of scientists flew to the region on Monday to find out what caused the disaster – with experts blaming all the global warming.
Whatever the cause, “Everything was swept away – people, cattle and trees,” said Sangram Singh Rawat, a former Raini town councilor near the site of one of the damaged hydroelectric plants.
Workers found at least 26 bodies. More than 2,000 members of the military, paramilitary groups and police have continued a massive search-and-rescue operation for about 200 people who are still missing.
Most of the missing were workers at the two power stations, 37 of which were known in a 1.5-mile tunnel filled with mud and rocks.
‘The tunnel is filled with debris that came from the river. We use machines to clear the way, “said H. Gurung, a senior official of the Indian Tibetan Border Police.
The floodwaters also damaged homes, but it was unclear how many residents were killed or missing. Government officials delivered food parcels and medicine to at least two flood-hit towns.
While scientists are investigating the cause of the glacier’s rupture, some have noticed that it snowed heavily in the Nanda Devi area last week and possibly caused an avalanche when it began to melt.
Others already blame global warming and note the overall melting and breaking up of the world’s glaciers.
“It looks a lot like a climate change, as the glaciers are melting due to global warming,” said Anjal Prakash, research director and deputy professor at the Indian School of Business.
The disaster also raises questions about the strength of the dams.
‘The dams are supposed to withstand much greater force. It was not a monsoon, it was much smaller, ‘said Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of the South Asia Network of Dams, Rivers and People.
With Post threads