LUCKNOW – Rescuers are looking for an estimated 170 people missing in the Indian Himalayas on Monday, including some trapped in a tunnel, after a part of a glacier broke away sending a torrent of water, rock , and dust down a mountain valley.
The violent surge swept away a small hydroelectric project called Rishiganga and damaged a bigger one further downstream the Dhauliganga river.
Officials said the bodies of 12 people have been recovered.
Most of the missing was people working on the two projects.
A team of scientists came to the site of the accident to find out what exactly happened.
“It’s a very rare incident for a glacial burst to happen. Satellite and Google Earth images do not show a glacial lake near the region, but there’s a possibility that there may be a water pocket in the region,” said Mohd Farooq Azam, assistant professor, glaciology & hydrology at the Indian Institute of Technology in Indore.(AP)
