Ten people have died and over 100 are missing and presumed dead after a glacial break in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning caused an avalanche and major flooding of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers, forcing thousands to evacuate and damaging both houses and the nearby Rishiganga and NTPC power projects. The bodies of 10 people were found. Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, declared 4 lakh compensation for the families of those killed. Mr Rawat also stated that police, army and ITBP teams, as well as national and state disaster response forces, were “doing their best to save the lives of the workers at sites affected by the disaster”
Around 160 people, many of whom worked at the NTPC and Rishiganga power plants, are still missing and presumed dead. However, 16 people trapped in an under-construction tunnel at the Tapovan dam were rescued by an ITBP team.
An extra ₹ 2 lakh compensation will be given from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. Mr Rawat also said a team of scientific experts would investigate the exact cause of the disaster.
Medical teams have also been rushed to affected sites. A 30-bed hospital was readied at Joshimath and hospitals in Srinagar, Rishikesh, Jollygrant and Dehradun are on standby.
Five NDRF teams were mobilised initially. By Sunday evening three more were deployed, with 15 tonnes of relief equipment, from Ghaziabad’s Hindon Air Force base. Teams are also being airlifted from Dehradun to Joshimath. Two ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) teams and several SDRF teams have also been mobilised.
