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REPORTER: We start with the latest on our
breaking news, India fearing dozens
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of people are dead after part of a
Himalayan glacier collapsed.
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It has sent a torrent of water rushing
down a river where a hydroelectric
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power station and several villages are
positioned.
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Several communities have been put
on high alert for flooding, and people
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are being evacuated further downstream.
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We have a look at it on the map, we're
talking very Northern parts of India here,
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up through close to the
Himalayas, obviously.
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This is Rishiganga, which is one of the
rivers which have been affected.
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And as the map swings around you'll get
an idea, first of all, of the proximity of
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the Himalayas there from where the
glacier has broken off,
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and then as you come down the Rishiganga
River, we find, uh, one smaller dam there,
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and then further down a large
hydroelectric project further downstream
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in one of the other rivers, I've just lost
it at the moment-- no, there it is.
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Uh, coming down here as well, the
Tapovan Mandir.
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So, a lot of villagers and, as we said,
two big hydroelectric projects are in
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the path of all of that water.
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Elizabeth Puranam is our correspondent
in New Delhi, she's on the line just now.
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What more are you hearing this hour, Liz?
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ELIZABETH: Hello Kamal, so, what we are
hearing is that this glacial burst in the
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state of Uttarakhand's Chamoli
district has triggered the avalanche
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of massive flooding along the
Alaknanda and Dhauliganga Rivers.
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Um, it's forced the emergency evacuation
of thousands of people from surrounding
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areas, damaged homes, and, um, the
nearby Rishiganga powerplant.
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A local official has told Indian media
that 100 to 150 people may have been
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killed in the flash floods.
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Um, border patrol officials have
also told Indian media that they fear
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there will be casualties because some
waterbodies flooded and destroyed many
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homes on the riverbank, and we can see
pictures of a massive flood, a torrent
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of water and debris moving through the
Dhauliganga River.
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Uttarakhand's disaster response force
has said that more than 150 laborers
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working at the Rishiganga power project,
which was hit by floods, are missing.
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Representatives of the power project told
disaster response that they're not able to
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contact those workmen at the project
site, and the authorities are also worried
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about the safety.
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There are a number of ongoing road and
rail projects in the area and authorities
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are worried about the safety of, um,
the laborers who are working
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on those projects.
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REPORTER: Any word, I know it's early days
Liz, but any word on rescue efforts?
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This is a remote part of India, getting
there must be pretty difficult.
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ELIZABETH: Yes, and they're very much
under way.
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The state leader Pushkar Dhami tweeted
that the district administration police
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department disaster management has been
ordered to deal with the disaster.
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Um, we know that hundreds of Indo-Tibetan
border police personnel have been rushed
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to carry out rescue operations.
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Another government minister has said
that as well as the, um, hundreds of
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Indian-Tibetan border police, national
disaster response force teams are
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being rushed from this [inaudible].
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More are being deployed by Indian air
force, helicopter.
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And an alert has also been sounded for
all downstream, uh, districts from Chamoli
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including the city- major cities of
Rishikesh and Haridwar.
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The people there have been warned
against visiting riverbanks.
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Um, the worlds largest gathering, a
Hindu festival called Kumbh Mela
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has actually been taking place in Hardiwar
over the past few weeks, this is where
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people bathe in the Ganges River
during the festival, and so authorities
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will be dealing with more people than
normal in and around Hardiwar
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at this time.
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REPORTER: Elizabeth Puranam with the
latest on this news coming out of
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Northern India where a glacier has
broken off the Himalayas,
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water rushing down through those valleys
in the region.
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Thank you, Liz.
