[Watch] Uttarakhand glacier breaks; 150 feared dead

Chamoli:  Several labourers working at the Rishi Ganga hydroelectric power project are feared dead after a glacier broke in Dhauli Ganga valley of Joshimath area in Uttarakhand on Sunday morning.

A dam of the Tapovan power project was breached and feared to have been washed away.

Around 100-150 casualties are feared in the glacier breach in Chamoli district, said Uttarakhand Chief Secretary OM Prakash.

ITBP and SDRF personnel have been rushed to the affected areas to evacuate stranded people.

The rivers in the region have witnessed flash floods after the glacier broke.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has convened an emergency meeting to take stock of the situation and to supervise rescue and relief operations.

Though the impact of the disaster may not be felt in Rishikesh and Haridwar, the towns have been put on alert.

A government spokesman said that there was not much human habitation at the site where the glacier broke but a number of power projects have been hit.

The government has also appealed to the area people not to venture near the Ganga river.

Expressing his concern over the incident Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik tweeted, “Concerned to know about disappearance of people in the flash flood in #Uttarakhand caused by the breaking off of glacier at Joshimath. My thoughts & prayers are with their families and friends.”

(With agency inputs)

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