Uttarakhand glacier burst: 3 bodies recovered, massive rescue operation underway as over 150 missing

4.55 pm: Manish Khanduri, who had contested Lok Sabha elections on Congress ticket, shares a video showing no downflow of water at downstream Karnaprayag city in Chamoli district.

4.50 pm: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police has rescued all the 16 people who were trapped in the tunnel near Tapovan in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, reports ANI.

4.18 pm: Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar says that the flow of the river has turned normal near Srinagar, adding that it is no longer a threat to the people of Devprayag and those living in the lowlands.

4.13 pm: The Uttarakhand Police say people living along river banks are being evacuated. “As a precaution, the flow of the Bhagirathi River has been stopped,” the police say. “To stop the flow of the Alaknanda River, the GVK dam in Srinagar and the Virbhadra dam in Rishikesh have been emptied out.”

4.07 pm: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath expresses sadness at the loss of lives because of the flash flood. “I am deeply saddened by the reports of loss of life due to the natural disaster in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand,” he tweets. “It is a request to Lord Rama that peace be upon the departed souls, give the power to the bereaved family to bear this sorrow and to provide immediate health benefits to the injured.”

3.59 pm: Indo-Tibetan Border Police spokesperson says that three bodies have been recovered, adding that at least 150 labourers working at the Tapovan power project are missing, reports PTI.

3.57 pm: A Border Roads Organisation bridge near Malari ahead of the Joshimath area has been washed away by the floods, reports ANI. Director General of Border Roads Organisation Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhary has instructed officials to reinstate it at the earliest possible.

3.51 pm: Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat says it is clear from the condition of water flow in the river at Karnaprayag, one of the confluences of river Alaknanda, that the possibility of flooding is very less.

3.47 pm: President Ram Nath Kovind says he is deeply worried about the glacier burst near Joshimath, Uttarakhand. “Praying for well being and safety of people,” he tweets. “[I] am confident that rescue and relief operations on ground are progressing well.”

3.43 pm: CM Rawat says medical teams have been rushed to the affected site and a 30-bed hospital has been kept ready at Joshimath for dealing with the emergency. He adds that hospitals in Srinagar, Rishikesh, Jollygrant and Dehradun are also on standby.

3.38 pm: Teams comprising 100 personnel from the Indian Army and 250 from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police are engaged in the rescue operations, says Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. He says that the army has pressed three helicopters into service and the local police and the state disaster relief forces are also at the site.

“600 personnel from the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police are on standby for dealing with any emerging situation,” adds Rawat. “All the rescue teams are doing their best to save lives of missing workers at NTPC (140 nos) & RishiGanga site (17 nos). My prayers are with every missing worker.”

3.36 pm: CM Rawat says those in need of help can contact the following emergency numbers: 1070, 1905 and 9557444486. “I thank state’s population in the affected regions for their cooperation and request everyone to maintain calm & not share unverified information on various platforms,” he tweets.

3.24 pm: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat says there is no additional water flows currently are being reported and there is no flood situation anywhere. “Water from the affected site has reached beyond Nandprayag and river was flowing 1 meter above normal levels,” he tweets. “No loss has been reported from villages along Alaknanda.”

3.18 pm: Piyoosh Rautela, executive director of the Uttarakhand Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre, says the exact cause of the incident is being investigated. He says that glacier debris blocked the water from river Ganga, leading to the formation of a lake, which broke earlier in the day.

Rautela adds that missing people include 50 from Rishi Ganga hydro power’s construction site and 100 from Tapovan hydro power site.

3.15 pm: Uttar Pradesh government asks authorities in all districts on the banks of the Ganga river to be on a high alert and continuously monitor the water level, reports PTI.

3.12 pm: Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar says at least two bodies have been recovered, while some injured have been rescued by the state disaster response forces, reports PTI. Kumar says 50-100 personnel working at a power project in Tapovan-Reni area of Uttarakhand are missing and rescue operations have been launched to find them.

3.04 pm: A witness to the incident says a wall of dust, rock and water came down the river valley as an avalanche, reports Reuters. “It came very fast, there was no time to alert anyone,” says Sanjay Singh Rana, who lives on the upper reaches of Raini village. “I felt that even we would be swept away.”

2.22 pm: Officials tells PTI that more than 150 labourers working in the power project are missing.

2.15 pm: It is still not clear what led to the flash floods in Uttarakhand. The government is saying it is a result of a “glacier burst”, but questions remain to be answered whether it is a glacial lake outburst flood or if a glacier disintegrated, causing avalanche and massive flooding.

1.55 pm: The police in Chamoli say that the Rishiganga Power Project has been damaged due breach of a glacier in Tapovan area, reports ANI.

1.52 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Assam to for the state Assembly polls, says that he is constantly monitoring the situation in Uttarakhand after a glacial burst.

“Am constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation in Uttarakhand,” he says in a tweet. “India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there. Have been continuously speaking to senior authorities and getting updates on NDRF deployment, rescue work and relief operations.”

1.30 pm: The Chamoli district magistrate has instructed officials to evacuate people living in villages on the bank of Dhauliganga river, reports ANI.

1.22 pm: Reports coming in of a glacier breaking off at Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district.