New Delhi – Nearly 30 people were confirmed dead and about 200 more missing on Monday after a huge piece of a Himalayan glacier in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand broke and fell in the river, causing an avalanche and a massive flood that devastated dams, hydroelectric power. plants and various bridges and roads.
AP
Most of the missing were believed to have been swept away by two battered hydroelectric power plants along the Dhauli Ganga River. About 150 people working in a large power plant under construction and 21 more were missing from the Rishiganga facility above.
The Rishaganga power plant was in operation when it was completely destroyed by the wall of water unleashed on Sunday by the partial collapse of the Nanda Devi glacier.
A frantic rescue operation was carried out to reach more than 30 people trapped in a 1.5-kilometer-long tunnel at one of the facilities, where mud and debris hampered the operation.
“Some people inside the tunnel are probably alive or half alive, we are trying to rescue them,” Uttarakhand state police chief Ashok Kumar told CBS News.
Kumar confirmed to CBS News that the bodies of 26 people had been recovered. He said rescue operations would likely continue at least until Tuesday morning.
Hundreds of paramilitary soldiers and police were sent to help with rescue operations. The video of the scene showed heavy construction equipment changing mud and military helicopters circling over ground equipment. At least 25 people had been rescued as of local Monday afternoon, including a man seen as being shot from a mud-covered tunnel.
Authorities evacuated thousands of people from several villages near another affected river, the Alaknanda, but authorities said Monday the flood threat was over. Food was being dropped by air in the cut-off areas by the road when flood water washed the bridges and roads.
“India stays with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for the safety of all,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter. He said he was “constantly monitoring the situation.”
Climate change in a delicate region
The state of Uttarakhand lies along the western mountains of the Himalayas and has seen several flash floods and landslides in the past. More than 6,000 people died, went missing or were presumed dead in 2013 when heavy monsoon rains caused massive flooding.
Environmentalists have long been concerned about the large dams that are being built on the state’s rivers and have campaigned against the development of their floodplains.
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Experts were quick to say that the partial collapse of the glacier on Sunday could be related to climate change.
“This is very similar to a climate change event, as glaciers are melting due to global warming,” said Dr. Anjal Prakash, lead researcher on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations. United. He told CBS News that the impact of global warming on glaciers was well documented and that a recent report showed temperatures were rising in the Himalayan region.
“There is no doubt that global warming has caused the region to warm,” said Dr. Farooq Azam, a professor of glaciology and hydrology. “Erratic weather patterns driven by climate change such as increased snowfall and rainfall [and] warmer winters have caused the melting point of a lot of snow. “