Huge Flood As Uttarakhand Glacier Breaks, 10 Dead, 125 Missing

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Uttarakhand Glacier: Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said rescue teams are working to save some 160 people working at the NTPC and Rishiganga power plants

Chamoli, Uttarakhand: Ten people were killed and 125 are still missing, and feared dead, after a glacier break at Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district triggered massive flooding of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers on Sunday. Many villages were evacuated as floods damaged homes and the nearby NTPC power plant, while washing away a small hydro power project near Rishiganga. National and state disaster response teams have been deployed. The Army sent six columns and the Navy seven diving teams. Arrangements have been made so rescue teams can work round-the-clock. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone's safety."

Here are the top 10 points in this big story:

1. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has announced ₹ 4 lakh compensation for the family of those killed. An extra ₹ 2 lakh compensation will be given from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, with ₹ 50,000 for those with serious injuries. Mr Rawat, who said seven bodies had been found at a construction site, also said a team of scientific experts would investigate the exact cause of the disaster.

2. Around 160 people, many of whom worked at the NTPC and Rishiganga power plants, are still missing and presumed dead. ITBP Director-General SS Deswal told news agency ANI that nine-ten bodies had been recovered from the waters near Tapovan dam. However, 16 people trapped in an under-construction tunnel at the Tapovan dam were rescued by an ITBP team. Around 30 people are trapped in a second tunnel and the ITBP will be working all night to save them, ITBP spokesperson Vivek Pandey, said.

3. Earlier Mr Rawat said teams from the police, the Army and ITBP, as well as the NDRF and SDRF, were "doing their best to save the lives of the workers at sites affected by the disaster". "We are doing our best to lessen the damage caused by the disaster," he said.

4. Prime Minister Modi tweeted to say he had spoken to Mr Rawat, and said: "Am constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation... India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone's safety there." Home Minister Amit Shah also tweeted; he said the Modi government stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Uttarakhand.

5. Medical teams have also been rushed to affected sites. A 30-bed hospital was readied at Joshimath and hospitals in Srinagar, Rishikesh, Jollygrant and Dehradun are on standby.

6. The NCMC (National Crisis Management Committee) met late Sunday evening and said information from the Central Water Commission (CWC) indicated there was no danger of downstream flooding at this point, and that the rise in water levels had been contained. There is also no threat to the neighbouring villages, the NCMC said after it met.

7. Five NDRF teams were mobilised at first. By the evening three more were deployed, with 15 tonnes of relief equipment, from Ghaziabad's Hindon Air Force base. Teams are also being airlifted from Dehradun to Joshimath. Two ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) teams and several SDRF teams have also been mobilised.

8. The Army has sent six columns, each with 100 soldiers. Two Cheetah helicopters and three Mi-17 choppers are also operating. The Army is using C-130 and An32 transport aircraft to airlift NDRF personnel. Two medical teams with ambulances and an engineering task force with earth-moving equipment have been deployed. Seven Navy diving teams are on standby.

9. Videos and images showed the massive burst of water tearing through a narrow valley below the power plant, leaving roads and bridges destroyed in its wake. Authorities emptied two dams in a bid to stop the flood waters from reaching Rishikesh and Haridwar, where people were barred from going near the Ganga riverbanks.

10. Massive flash floods and landslides hit Uttarakhand's Kedarnath in June 2013 after a multi-day cloudburst. Over 5,700 people were killed in one of the country's worst natural disasters since the 2004 tsunami. The floods also damaged parts of the famous Kedarnath temple, which is located 3,581 metres above sea level.

The Uttarakhand government has made the following helplines for the Disaster Operations Center available to those stuck in affected areas or in need of any help: 1070 or 9557444486

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