Over 150 people killed, 125 missing in Uttarakhand deluge

Over 150 people have lost their lives and over 125 are missing following a massive flood near a power project at Reni village in Joshimath area of Uttarakhands Chamoli district on Sunday officials said About 7 bodies have been recovered said Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Ssingh Rawat as per PTIThe incident occurred after the water level in Dhauliganga river one of the six sources of the Ganga river suddenly surged on Sunday morning following an avalanche near the Rishi Ganga power project The 85 km river meets the Alaknanda river at Vishnuprayag at the base of Joshimath mountain in UttarakhandBreakingNewsA glacier broke off in Uttarakhandrsquos Chamoli leading to flash floods in the region Over 150 labourers are feared missing Video courtesyNimesh DaveUttarakhand Alaknanda GlacierBurst Floods Rishikesh NandadeviGlacier Nandadevi pictwittercomnEgOdNrPzymdash Mid Day mid_day February 7 2021The ITBP said that the flash flood occurred in Rishi Ganga at around 1045 am due to a glacier falling into it and exponentially increasing the volume of waterDue to this the Rishi Ganga hydro project was completely devastated it saidThe BRO bridge on Joshimath highway was also completely washed away There were six graziers with their livestock there and they were also swept away by the flash flood the ITBP saidRishiganga meets Dhauliganga near Reni village So Dhauliganga also got flooded Five to six houses of the village were also washed away An NTPC project on river Dhauliganga near Tapovan was completely devastated Two Jhula bridges connecting villages on the other side of the river were also washed awayMore than 100 labourers at the barrage and 50 plus in the tunnel lost their life as per the incharge of Tapovan NTPC work site As many as 150 people are missing the ITBP saidTwo bodies were recovered at Tapovan NTPC site One more was recovered from Chamoli village near Tapovan About 16 to 17 labourers are safe inside the tunnel Our team is working to rescue themAround 250 personnel of ITBP are carrying out rescue and search operations on the site The paramilitary force said connectivity of its Border Outposts was totally restricted due to bridge destruction near Reni villageUttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has convened an emergency meeting to take stock of the situation and to supervise rescue and relief operationsThough the impact of the disaster may not be felt in Rishikesh and Haridwar the temple towns have been put on alertA government spokesman said that there was not much human habitation at the site where the glacier broke apart but a number of power projects have been hitThe government has appealed to the people not to venture near the Ganga riverPrime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have spoken to the Chief Minister to take stock of the situation in the stateThe Prime Minister during his Assam tour reviewed the situation in Uttarakhand during a telephonic conversation with Rawat and other top officials and the rescue and relief work underwayThe Prime Minister in a tweet said that he is constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation in UttarakhandIndia stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyones safety there Have been continuously speaking to senior authorities and getting updates on NDRF deployment rescue work and relief operationsMeanwhile Home Minister Shah also spoke to Rawat and IntoTibetan Border Police ITBP Director General SS DeswalShah said that four National Disaster Response Force NDRF teams are being airlifted to Dehradun to reach JoshimathThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever