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Himalayan glacier bursts in India, 100-150 feared dead in floods (Reuters)
Reuters
FEBRUARY 7, 2021 12:43 AM
UPDATED 16 MINUTES AGO
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - As many as 150 people were feared dead in northern India after a Himalayan glacier broke and crashed into a dam early on Sunday, with floods forcing the evacuation of villages downstream.
“The actual number has not been confirmed yet,” but 100 to 150 people were feared dead, Om Prakash, chief secretary of Uttarakhand state where the incident occurred, told Reuters.
A witness reported a wall of dust, rock and water as an avalanche roared down a river valley.
“It came very fast, there was no time to alert anyone,” Sanjay Singh Rana, who lives on the upper reaches of Raini village, told Reuters by phone. “I felt that even we would be swept away.”
Locals fear that people working at a nearby hydro-power project had been swept away, as well as villagers roaming near the river looking for firewood or grazing their cattle, Rana said. “We have no idea how many people are missing.”
“The actual number has not been confirmed yet,” but 100 to 150 people were feared dead, Om Prakash, chief secretary of Uttarakhand state where the incident occurred, told Reuters.
A witness reported a wall of dust, rock and water as an avalanche roared down a river valley.
“It came very fast, there was no time to alert anyone,” Sanjay Singh Rana, who lives on the upper reaches of Raini village, told Reuters by phone. “I felt that even we would be swept away.”
Locals fear that people working at a nearby hydro-power project had been swept away, as well as villagers roaming near the river looking for firewood or grazing their cattle, Rana said. “We have no idea how many people are missing.”
Read more at link: https://www.reuters.com/article/india-disaster/himalayan-glacier-breaks-in-india-districts-on-high-alert-for-flooding-idUSKBN2A706M
Link to tweet
TEXT: #BREAKING | Tirath Singh Rawat, BJP MP from Chamoli, is #LIVE on Republic with an update on the Uttarakhand glacier breach; Tune in for non-stop updates here - https://republicworld.com/livetv.html
