In photos: More than 120 feared dead in Chamoli glacier burst

The Indo Tibetan border police which is currently working to rescue any survivors in a second tunnel along the NTPC hydel power project.

The destruction caused by the glacier burst at Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Sunday led to the deaths of at least 10 people and more than 120 people who are still missing are feared dead.

Chamoli: Army Medical Corps official examines a worker rescued from Tapovan Tunnel, after a glacier broke off in Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district causing a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river. More than 150 labourers working at the Rishi Ganga power project may have been directly affected. (PTI Photo)

The sudden flood and avalanche which was triggered in the Dhauli Ganga, Rishi Ganga and Alaknanda rivers due to the glacial burst led to large-scale devastation in the mountainous Reni village in Tapovan district. The force of the glacier burst was severe enough to totally devastate NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project and the Rishi Ganga Hydel Project along with a BRO bridge in the Joshimath highway.

The Indo-Tibetan border police is currently working to rescue any survivors in a second tunnel near the NTPC hydel power project. Earlier on Sunday, the ITBP had undertaken a rescue operation and saved the lives of 16 labourers who were trapped in a tunnel.

Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the cause of the glacier burst is still unknown but the government primary focus is saving lives presently. The Uttarakhand government has announced that it will pay ₹4 lakh compensation for the families of those killed due to the flash flood caused by glacier burst in the Chamoli district.

The Prime Minister’s Office also said that PM Modi has approved ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 for people who have been injured seriously.

This general view shows state-run NTPC hydropower project site damaged after a broken glacier caused a major river surge that swept away bridges and roads, near Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. (AFP)

Damaged Dhauliganga hydropower project after a glacier broke off in Joshimath causing a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river, in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. (PTI Photo)

This photograph provided by Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) shows a man reacting after he was pulled out from beneath the ground by ITBP personnel during rescue operations after a portion of Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Tapovan area of the northern state of Uttarakhand. (AP)

People inspect the site near the damaged Dhauliganga hydropower project at Reni village in Chamoli district after a portion of Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Tapovan area of the northern state of Uttarakhand. (AP Photo)

Members of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) tend to people rescued after a Himalayan glacier broke and swept away a small hydroelectric dam, in Chormi village in Tapovan in the northern state of Uttarakhand. (REUTERS)