Uttarakhand avalanche: Death toll rises to 14, missing 170

The death toll after a glacier break at Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district in India climbed to 14 and 170 are still reported missing till Monday morning. Six people were injured in the incident. The avalanche triggered massive flooding of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers on Sunday.

Many villages were evacuated as floods swept away five bridges, damaged homes and the nearby NTPC power plant, and washed away a small hydropower project near Rishiganga.

According to NDTV, national and state disaster response teams have been deployed including the teams from the ITBP. The Army has sent six columns and the Navy sent seven diving teams.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences and wrote: “India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety.”

Earlier on Sunday, A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in the Tapovan area of Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district in India in the morning and damaged the Rishiganga dam on the Alaknanda river.

Around 150 laborers working at the Rishiganga power project are feared missing as they may have been directly affected by the disaster, State Disaster Response Force DIG Ridhim Aggarwal told news agency PTI.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has spoken to officials of the state disaster management and Chamoli administration.

Two Indo-Tibetan Border Police teams, comprising about 200 personnel, had moved to the affected areas from Joshimath, PTI quoted an ITBP official as saying.