125 missing, 7 bodies found; Rishiganga power project damaged 

At least 125 people are missing with the number expected to rise further after an avalanche caused by glacier breach near Reni village in Chamoli district resulted in sudden rise in the water level in the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga rivers on Sunday morning.

The Rishiganga hydropower project and NTPC’s dam on Dhauliganga were also damaged in the disaster. According to official sources, the avalanche took place at about 10 am and soon after that the Government issued alerts in all areas along the Alaknanda and Ganga rivers from Chamoli district down to Haridwar.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, along with senior officials, reached the affected area in the afternoon to assess the situation. Talking to mediapersons after returning to Dehradun, the CM said at the time when the disaster struck about 35 persons and two policemen were at the Rishiganga project site. About five kilometres downstream at the NTPC project under construction in Tapovan more than 100 persons had gone to work. Scores of the workers were able to move away on hearing the shouts of alarm as the flood progressed.

Seven bodies had been recovered till the evening. The flood damaged one bridge at Reni and four suspension bridges. The road link to 17 villages has been severed though residents in seven out of these villages migrate seasonally.

The CM said, “President Ramnath Kovind called me expressing concern about the disaster. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also phoned me twice, expressing concern and assuring all the assistance required by Uttarakhand. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also called twice to enquire about the situation and assured all help.

“Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat also called us and assured all necessary help.”

On being asked about the damage assessment and State’s requirements, the CM said at present the main focus is on rescuing people and saving lives. The State has all the necessary resources for rescue and medical treatment, augmented by the Centre in response to the disaster. When asked about the possible cause of the disaster, he said the cause will be ascertained later by experts as now the focus is on saving lives.

While the State Government has announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the dependents of those killed, the PM has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each. The companies executing the Rishiganga and Tapovan projects are assessing the damage. The CM said that the situation is now under control and that there is no danger.

According to official sources, till the evening, 12 labourers had been rescued alive from the edit tunnel of the Rishiganga project while 30 were stuck in the main tunnel. About 250 ITBP jawans had reached the affected area for rescue work. While a 40-member group of the Army reached Tapovan, another was at Joshimath and two Army teams had reached Joshimath for relief operations.