1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,850 REPORTER: We start with the latest on our breaking news, India fearing dozens 2 00:00:02,850 --> 00:00:06,670 of people are dead after part of a Himalayan glacier collapsed. 3 00:00:06,670 --> 00:00:10,540 It has sent a torrent of water rushing down a river where a hydroelectric 4 00:00:10,540 --> 00:00:13,610 power station and several villages are positioned. 5 00:00:13,610 --> 00:00:17,030 Several communities have been put on high alert for flooding, and people 6 00:00:17,030 --> 00:00:20,000 are being evacuated further downstream. 7 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,836 We have a look at it on the map, we're talking very Northern parts of India here, 8 00:00:23,836 --> 00:00:26,572 up through close to the Himalayas, obviously. 9 00:00:26,572 --> 00:00:31,644 This is Rishiganga, which is one of the rivers which have been affected. 10 00:00:31,644 --> 00:00:35,593 And as the map swings around you'll get an idea, first of all, of the proximity of 11 00:00:35,593 --> 00:00:38,929 the Himalayas there from where the glacier has broken off, 12 00:00:38,929 --> 00:00:46,472 and then as you come down the Rishiganga River, we find, uh, one smaller dam there, 13 00:00:46,472 --> 00:00:52,360 and then further down a large hydroelectric project further downstream 14 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:56,263 in one of the other rivers, I've just lost it at the moment-- no, there it is. 15 00:00:56,263 --> 00:01:00,669 Uh, coming down here as well, the Tapovan Mandir. 16 00:01:00,669 --> 00:01:05,690 So, a lot of villagers and, as we said, two big hydroelectric projects are in 17 00:01:05,690 --> 00:01:08,110 the path of all of that water. 18 00:01:08,110 --> 00:01:11,763 Elizabeth Puranam is our correspondent in New Delhi, she's on the line just now. 19 00:01:11,763 --> 00:01:13,831 What more are you hearing this hour, Liz? 20 00:01:13,831 --> 00:01:19,139 ELIZABETH: Hello Kamal, so, what we are hearing is that this glacial burst in the 21 00:01:19,139 --> 00:01:22,723 state of Uttarakhand's Chamoli district has triggered the avalanche 22 00:01:22,723 --> 00:01:27,445 of massive flooding along the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga Rivers. 23 00:01:27,445 --> 00:01:32,132 Um, it's forced the emergency evacuation of thousands of people from surrounding 24 00:01:32,132 --> 00:01:37,823 areas, damaged homes, and, um, the nearby Rishiganga powerplant. 25 00:01:37,823 --> 00:01:44,213 A local official has told Indian media that 100 to 150 people may have been 26 00:01:44,213 --> 00:01:46,163 killed in the flash floods. 27 00:01:46,163 --> 00:01:49,651 Um, border patrol officials have also told Indian media that they fear 28 00:01:49,651 --> 00:01:54,372 there will be casualties because some waterbodies flooded and destroyed many 29 00:01:54,372 --> 00:01:58,311 homes on the riverbank, and we can see pictures of a massive flood, a torrent 30 00:01:58,311 --> 00:02:02,713 of water and debris moving through the Dhauliganga River. 31 00:02:02,713 --> 00:02:07,822 Uttarakhand's disaster response force has said that more than 150 laborers 32 00:02:07,822 --> 00:02:12,578 working at the Rishiganga power project, which was hit by floods, are missing. 33 00:02:12,578 --> 00:02:17,733 Representatives of the power project told disaster response that they're not able to 34 00:02:17,733 --> 00:02:22,654 contact those workmen at the project site, and the authorities are also worried 35 00:02:22,654 --> 00:02:24,106 about the safety. 36 00:02:24,106 --> 00:02:28,878 There are a number of ongoing road and rail projects in the area and authorities 37 00:02:28,878 --> 00:02:32,198 are worried about the safety of, um, the laborers who are working 38 00:02:32,198 --> 00:02:33,582 on those projects. 39 00:02:33,582 --> 00:02:38,688 REPORTER: Any word, I know it's early days Liz, but any word on rescue efforts? 40 00:02:38,688 --> 00:02:42,726 This is a remote part of India, getting there must be pretty difficult. 41 00:02:42,726 --> 00:02:45,544 ELIZABETH: Yes, and they're very much under way. 42 00:02:45,544 --> 00:02:49,899 the state leader Pushkar Dhami tweeted that the district administration police 43 00:02:49,899 --> 00:02:53,552 department disaster management has been ordered to deal with the disaster. 44 00:02:53,552 --> 00:02:58,340 Um, we know that hundreds of Indo-Tibetan border police personnel have been rushed 45 00:02:58,340 --> 00:03:00,275 to carry out rescue operations. 46 00:03:00,275 --> 00:03:03,880 Another government minister has said that as well as the, um, hundreds of 47 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:08,600 Indian-Tibetan border police, national disaster response force teams are 48 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,186 being rushed from this [unintelligible]. 49 00:03:11,186 --> 00:03:14,873 More are being deployed by Indian air force, helicopter. 50 00:03:14,873 --> 00:03:21,312 And an alert has also been sounded for all downstream, uh, districts from Chamoli 51 00:03:21,312 --> 00:03:25,669 including the city- major cities of Rishikesh and Haridwar. 52 00:03:25,669 --> 00:03:29,005 The people there have been warned against visiting riverbanks. 53 00:03:29,005 --> 00:03:33,608 Um, the worlds largest gathering, a Hindu festival called Kumbh Mela 54 00:03:33,608 --> 00:03:37,831 has actually been taking place in Hardiwar over the past few weeks, this is where 55 00:03:37,831 --> 00:03:41,067 people bathe in the Ganges River during the festival, and so authorities 56 00:03:41,067 --> 00:03:45,854 will be dealing with more people than normal in and around Hardiwar 57 00:03:45,854 --> 00:03:46,989 at this time. 58 00:03:46,989 --> 00:03:50,609 REPORTER: Elizabeth Puranam with the latest on this news coming out of 59 00:03:50,609 --> 00:03:54,597 Northern India where a glacier has broken off the Himalayas, 60 00:03:54,597 --> 00:03:57,249 water rushing down through those valleys in the region. 61 00:03:57,249 --> 00:03:58,052 Thank you, Liz.